8 January, 2020

Gunnedah Shire Council has congratulated residents on their adherence to the Level 1 water restrictions introduced on January 1.

Gunnedah Shire Councillors voted to step up water conservation in the face of the prolonged drought by proactively introducing enforceable water restrictions while the town’s water supply was still able to meet demand.

“It’s early days yet, but it appears people are aware of the importance of conserving water during this dry time, and are implementing Level 1 water restrictions,” Gunnedah Shire Council manager water services Kevin Sheridan said.

“People are actively seeking information if they need it so they can be proactive in conserving water.

“While we are very fortunate to have a good supply of quality bore water, we all need to conserve water wherever possible.

“The restrictions apply to Gunnedah, Curlewis, Mullaley and Tambar Springs properties connected to the town water supplies. The restrictions implemented from January 1 are mild in comparison to many other towns, some which have no outdoor use at all.

“While fixed hoses and sprinklers are banned except for two hours per day between 6 and 7am and 6 and 7pm, there is no restriction on the use of hand-held hoses.

“Council has received some feedback about the times for fixed hoses and sprinklers to be used. The times were selected during the preparation of the Drought Management Plan; which was prepared and placed on public exhibition before being adopted in 2017 and took into consideration all members of the community. The elderly were at the forefront of concerns, including the need to have a consistent time for watering all year round.

“Council is proposing to undertake a review of the plan in the future, and the selection of times will again be considered, including a look at the difference in weather conditions between daylight saving periods and eastern standard times.”

 A report to the Council meeting late last year stated the drought being experienced throughout Northern NSW was having a profound effect on water supplies statewide.

While Gunnedah Shire’s water usage charges are among the lowest for shires with between 4000 and 10,000 properties in New South Wales, residents are among the highest water users. In the 20017-18 year, 418.7kL of residential water was supplied in Gunnedah Shire, more than twice the figure in Inverell (203.77kL) and significantly more than Muswellbrook (306.48kL) and the Upper Hunter (333kL).

Level 1’s enforceable water restrictions are:

CATEGORY LEVEL 1

Residential garden and lawn watering - Fixed hoses and sprinklers banned, except between 6-7am and 6-7pm. Hand-held hosing is not limited to those times.
Washing down (including vehicles) - Wash down hard/paved surfaces with high pressure hoses only
Private swimming pools and spas - Permit required for filling pools over 2000 litres. Residents can top up the water level on pools without a permit.
Public parks and gardens - Fixed hoses and sprinklers banned except for 6 hours per day
Public sports grounds - Main parks to be watered at night
Bowling/golf clubs - No restriction
Schools and health care premises requiring day staff for maintenance - Fixed hoses and sprinklers banned except for 6 hours per day.
Nurseries etc - No restriction
Auto flush toilets - No restriction
Commercial car wash - No restriction
Truck wash at saleyards - No restriction
Industrial use (major) - No restriction
Water cartage from standpipe - No restriction
Residential consumption reduction target 5%

For more information, click here, or call Council on 6740 2100.

ENDS

Media contact: Eliza Gallen (02) 6740 2100.