Level 2 water restrictions came into effect on Wednesday, January 24 for those connected to Walcha’s town water supply, as storage levels continue to drop.
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“The flow of the Macdonald River has fallen to a level which is below the trigger for the introduction of Level 2 restrictions under council’s Drought Management Plan,” Walcha’s Water, Sewer and Waste manager Tess Dawson said.
Among the changes, the Level 2 rules mean that businesses and residents will only be able to water their gardens between the hours of 6-8am or 6-8pm with handheld hoses.
Sprinklers and other unattended watering systems are not permitted to be used under the new restrictions.
Water cartage from the Walcha Water Supply is allowed for domestic purposes only, and properties with alternate water supplies must display a sign clearly visible from the street.
“Our region is in for another bout of hot days and if it doesn’t rain soon it may be that we will need to move to Level 3 water restrictions in the near future,” Mrs Dawson said.
Level 3 means either bucketing water or hosing for no more than 15 minutes, and the closure of the truck wash bay which Mrs Dawson said then goes on to impact businesses.
Anyone with concerns about coping with the restrictions can apply for a variation, either by contacting council or downloading the application form from its website. Mrs Dawson said this can be relevant for those with medical conditions that restrict them from being able to manipulate a handheld hose.
“Any sort of emergency is also exempted,” she said.
Council’s efforts to secure a more reliable water source for the town are ongoing, with Mayor Eric Noakes detailing current investigations into either expanding the storage capacity of the current system or a ‘community dam’ in his column last August.
“The township suffers from too frequent water restrictions and with limited supply and more demand the situation will only become worse,” he said.
A range of tips and resources to save water in the home, garden and business is available at council’s website under the Environment tab. For the garden they include advice that can be implemented straight away like recycling grey water and mulching garden beds, and longer term projects that can reduce water dependency such as garden design and plant selection.
