By CAROLINE STRAINIG
GARDENS across the Hastings may be lush and green in the wake of all the recent rain we’ve had, but it might not be enough to stave off tougher water restrictions.
Port Macquarie-Hastings Council staff will be meeting late this week to make a decision on whether to introduce level 4 water restrictions.
The region’s water situation is looking more positive because of the recent rain, but the combined storage levels in the Port Macquarie and Cowarra dams have now fallen to 70 per cent, which is the trigger for level 4.
The council’s water and sewer group manager Andrew Doig said more than 160mm of rain had been recorded at Mt Seaview in the seven days between 14 February and 20 February with a direct impact on Hastings River levels.
Late last week the river level at Koree Island was 1.57m, which is 300mm above its pre-rainfall levels.
As a result, the Wauchope water treatment plant was no longer on back-feed and with continued rainfall there was the potential to start operating one pump at the Koree 2 pump station within the next few days.
Rainfalls in the upper catchment have also resulted in increased flows in the Wilson River at Telegraph Point and the Thone River at Comboyne.
Because of the rain, council had been delaying making a decision on moving to level 4 but with dam levels now around 70 per cent that meeting would take place late this week.
The Hastings moved from level 1 to level 3 water restrictions in mid-January due to the lack of serious rain in the preceding months (the council does not use level 2).
Under level 3 restictions, sprinklers and fixed hoses are banned, micro-sprays are allowed for 15 minutes and one hand-held hose for one hour every second day, on odd or even days matching house number.
Under level 4, sprinklers and fixed hoses are banned. Micro sprays are allowed for 15 minutes and one hand-held hose for half an hour every second day.
Hoses must be fitted with a water cut-off trigger or control nozzle under both levels.
There are two more levels after level 4. Level 5: sprinklers, micro-sprays, fixed and hand-held hoses are banned and gardens can be watered with buckets only. Level 6: all external use of water is banned and gardens can be watered with recycled water only.
People who ignore the restrictions can be fined $229.
