NEXT time you go to turn on a tap think twice – every drop is precious because dam water levels in the Port Macquarie-Hastings are dropping fast.
Level 3 water restrictions kicked in on Monday across the entire local government area, after the combined storage levels in the Port Macquarie and Cowarra storage facilities fell to 80 per cent in late December.
The council’s water and sewer group manager Andrew Doig said the restrictions applied to all households serviced by the council’s reticulated (town) water supply.
Under Level 3 restrictions, sprinklers and fixed hoses are banned. Residents are only permitted to use one hand-held hose for a maximum of one hour in two 30-minute sessions (6.30am-7am and 6pm-6.30pm) every second day according to the odds and evens system.
Full details about Level 3 restrictions are available online at www.pmhc.nsw.gov.au
Mr Doig said it was unlikely the region would run out of water given current storage levels but there was a need for council to manage its stored water carefully and to prepare for a worst-case scenario of continued dry conditions in the catchment over summer.
The council normally pumps water from the Hastings River at Koree Island into Cowarra Dam and Port Macquarie Dam and also to supply Wauchope residents. Due to low water flows it has been unable to use its high volume pumps since 16 August last year and is now back feeding water from Port Macquarie Dam to supply Wauchope.
While reasonable rainfall was experienced in Port Macquarie late last year, it fell mainly along the coastal fringe and not in the Hastings River catchment area – where it was badly needed – so there was minimal improvement in river flows.
Mr Doig said adequate environmental flows would need to be restored to the Hastings River before the council would be in a position to start extracting water again.
In the meantime, he said, council would be relying on its stored water – hence the need for a move to Level 3 restrictions. The restrictions are designed to conserve the amount of water held in the dams in case current conditions continue in the medium to long term.
Mr Doig said heavy rainfall over a short period of time would make little difference to the current situation. He said there would need to be consistent rain in the upper catchment over an extended period of time – resulting in increased flows in the Hastings River – before the council would be in a position to review Level 3 restrictions.
Council is urging local residents and visitors to adhere to the restrictions and to do everything possible to conserve water in and around the home.
Water consumption in the Port Macquarie-Hastings region traditionally peaks over the Christmas holiday period because of the warmer weather and an influx of visitors.
Figures from the Christmas-New Year period show water consumption sitting at approximately 238 litres a day per person. The council’s target is 225 litres a day per person.
