‘We’re preparing for the worst case scenario’: Hunter Water on water restrictions
With severe drought gripping most of NSW, drastic measures are being taken to reserve our most precious resource. Level 1 water restrictions are set to start on September 16 in the Lower Hunter.
Newcastle
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More than 90 per cent of NSW is in drought and our water is running out.
The desperate news has prompted a call for level 1 water restrictions to be imposed in the Lower Hunter next month, as the Hunter’s dams continue to fall.
The state has suffered through below average rainfall for winter and, according to the Bureau of Meteorology, the likelihood of sufficient rain is not looking good.
It has been 25 years since the last water restrictions, which occurred in December 1994 when the region had to start tightening up on the precious resource.
From September 16, Lower Hunter residents will have to start watching what they use.
“Grahamstown dam is roughly 63 to 64 per cent and restrictions normally come in at 60 per cent so we anticipate September we will reach that figure,” Hunter Water acting CEO Graham Wood said.
“We are seeing high water demand because it is dry and warm, our dams do fall quickly anyway, that’s the nature of storage and without any rain they won’t refill.”
Executive Drought Lead Darren Cleary added: “This drought is very severe, this drought has been very hot and warm and that has meant we are dropping quickly.
“Across the state we have seen water levels drop faster than it did in the millennial drought so this is a severe drought.”
While level 1 restrictions are at the lower end of the scale, Mr Wood said Hunter Water was preparing for worse case scenario.
In the 80s it was so dire level 3 water restrictions were imposed. If the drought continues to take hold there will be more severe restrictions.
“We’re hoping for rain now but if we don’t have any rain, then sometime around December we’ll see level two,” Mr Wood said.
“There is no quick fix so we do need these savings.”
LEVEL 1 RESTRICTIONS
* Outdoor watering before 10am or after 4pm with a trigger nozzle
* All hoses must have a trigger nozzle
* No hosing of hard surfaces such as concrete, paths and driveways
* Wash your vehicle on the grass using a trigger nozzle
* No sprinklers
FOR MAJOR + LARGE BUSINESSES
* Implement water efficiency management plans
Mr Wood hopes to get about five to seven per cent in water savings across the region, which will be crucial in maintaining supplies.
“We know the community has done their bit so far, we’ve seen a reduction in usage, and Hunter water has been doing a good job in managing its network,” he said.
“We’ve reduced our leakage by 20 per cent, we’ve had a lot more troops out of the field to improve our response to customer leakage.”
Mr Cleary added, “The key thing is we want to work with the community and we need as much help as we can to save water and if necessary, we do have the power to issue fines but that’s not our focus.”
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