Moderate water restrictions have been imposed across the Mid Coast region as of Thursday February 1, following extended hot and dry conditions.
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MidCoast Water Services has indicated the moderate restrictions apply across the region's water supplies including the Manning and Great Lakes, along with the rural supplies of Gloucester, Stroud, Bulahdelah and Tea Gardens.
Moderate - level one - restrictions aim to reduce outdoor water use and lower water consumption while we wait for substantial rain in the upper catchments to replenish river levels and water supplies.
Under the restrictions you can water outside using hand-held hoses, for one hour every second day, between 4pm and 9pm only. Garden irrigation systems may only be used for 15 minutes as part of the one hour allocation.
If your house number is an even number, water on the even days of the month; for houses with odd numbers, water on the odd days of the month, and there's no watering at all on the 31st day of any month. This includes topping up home pools.
In addition, use buckets, with trigger hose rinsing for washing cars and boats. If possible, always wash vehicles and flush boat motor engines on grassed areas - this will help keep your lawn alive!
Outdoor cleaning of driveways, paved areas, windows, walls and roofs should all be undertaken using buckets only.
The restrictions apply to households, businesses and public areas – with council restricting their watering of parks and public areas also.
"Council teams are working together on a water management plan that reduces the watering of our parks and public areas by 30 per cent, " MidCoast Council’s director of water services, Brendan Guiney, said.
"In the past, we've experienced great support from our community when water restrictions are in force, and the community’s support in has made a real difference and has been appreciated."
Mr Guiney said that while the lower temperatures and light coastal rain falling this week has a positive impact on water use, with people using less on such days, it hasn’t been enough to rescue river levels.
“While it is refreshing our gardens, it's not falling in the catchment or replenishing our water storages.
"Water restrictions are quite rare on the MidCoast, this will only be the third time in the 16 years from 2002 we've needed to introduce restrictions."
For more information, visit www.midcoastwater.com.au/restrictions for full details of the moderate - level one- restrictions and any changes to restriction levels.
