Very high water restrictions will be imposed from next Monday, November 11 and MidCoast Council has warned even tighter restrictions may be necessary as we approach summer.
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The new Level 3 water restrictions mean that you can water outside using hand-held hoses for 10 minutes every second day, before 9am or after 4pm. 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.
There is now a total ban on all sprinklers and garden irrigation systems, and topping up swimming pools.
Buckets, with trigger hose, are to be used for washing cars and boats, as part of your 10 minute allocation. Outdoor cleaning of driveways, paved areas, windows, walls and roofs can only be undertaken using buckets.
The restrictions apply to households, businesses and public areas - with council restricting its watering of parks and public areas also.
Businesses which require outdoor water use will need to complete a water management plan detailing how they can save as much water as possible. Visitors to the area over this summer will receive water restrictions messages, with accommodation providers being supported to provide information.
The weather forecasts and our predictions of water usage indicate that we may need to increase restrictions even further as we move into a hot and dry summer.
- MidCoast Council's director of infrastructure and engineering services, Rob Scott
"The weather forecasts and our predictions of water usage indicate that we may need to increase restrictions even further as we move into a hot and dry summer," council's director of infrastructure and engineering services, Rob Scott said.
"We're asking the community to continue to support water restrictions in complying with the new Very High measures, which are mandatory.
"Businesses will be permitted to continue water use for commercial use, but we are urging them to conserve water wherever possible and to ensure their systems are in working order and do not waste water."
Council says that the community's sustained efforts to conserve water during winter has helped to conserve water up to this point.
"We appreciate the high level of cooperation from our community in times of restrictions, and we thank everyone for their efforts to save water now. We are facing a very dry summer ahead and we will be relying on everyone to conserve our water supplies and make it through this incredibly dry time."
Visiting www.midcoast.nsw.gov.au/waterrestrictions for fact sheets, guidelines and more information about how MidCoast water use is managed.
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