Amid bushfires, drought and now a global pandemic, it's worth remembering that the Mid-Western Region is still on level 2 water restrictions.
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Mid-Western Regional Council announced that level two water restrictions would be implemented across the local government area from Monday, 11 November.
Council says the move to level 2 restrictions is due to a number of contributing factors, one of them being Council's water licenses to draw water from river and ground water sources for town water supply.
The region has experienced some of its driest years on record, with just 346mm recorded this year to date.
Acting General Manager, Simon Jones said residents will notice some changes moving from level 1 to level 2 and Council has developed a variety of materials to make this transition as easy as possible, so each household is aware of their responsibilities.
"The upcoming edition of Council's Community News, delivered to homes throughout the region, will include full details about level 2 water restrictions," Mr Jones said.
Earlier in October, Council's General Manager Brad Cam said this coupled with the allocation and imminent Bulk Water Transfer from Windamere Dam to Burrendong Dam meant the community as a collective must be conscious of water consumption.
"We all need to work together as a community to conserve water and implement water saving practices wherever possible," Mr Cam said.
"There are a number of things we can do to be more efficient with water in our homes and businesses, such as installing micro-sprays and drip irrigation rather than using sprinklers and hand-held hoses."
What do level 2 restrictions mean?
Level two water restrictions include all level one restrictions, with changes to the following;
- Watering lawns and gardens with watering systems, micro sprays, drip systems, soaker hoses, non fixed sprinklers and hand held hoses only. Between 6am and 9am and between 6pm and 9pm every second day on an odds and evens system* during daylight saving hours. This applies to residential and commercial properties.
- Washing cars at home is allowed with a bucket and rinsing with a trigger hose on the lawn between 9am and 12pm.
- Topping up swimming pools, both private and public, between 7am and 9am and between 6pm and 8pm only. This applies to residential and commercial properties.
- First fill of swimming pools, both private and public, between 7am and 9am and between 6pm and 8pm only. This applies to residential and commercial properties.
- External cleaning of non-residential premises using pressure trigger hoses only.
Odds and Evens UPDATED
Under the new Odds and Evens system, if the street number of your property is odd (eg: 173 Smith Street), you can water on odd dates of the month, alternatively, if the street number of your property is even (eg: 22 Stuart Street), you can water on even dates.