Sydney water restrictions elevated to Level 2 as dam levels hit 45%
Four minute showers, watering cans, will be forced to wash their cars with a sponge and banish the garden sprinkler as tougher water restrictions come into force on Tuesday.
NSW
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Sydneysiders will be asked to take four minute showers, will be forced to wash their cars with a sponge and banish the garden sprinkler as tougher water restrictions come into force on Tuesday.
The Level 2 Water restrictions have been triggered by levels in the dams supplying the city continuing to fall alarmingly quickly.
The State Government said water restrictions would take effect when dam levels in the region reach 45 per cent and Warragamba Dam was at 46 per cent of capacity yesterday — it fell by 0.5 per cent in just the last week
Newcastle will also move to Level 2 water restrictions for the first time in 40 years, from January 20.
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The tighter water restrictions will be enforced in lower Hunter towns Cessnock, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Port Stephens, Dungog and some parts of Singleton.
The State Water Minister has also written to every regional council — many have already introduced restrictions — urging them to consider the early introduction of even tougher water restrictions and other sacrifices to ensure the supply of drinking water.
Flouting Level 2 water restrictions will attract the same fines — $220 for residents and $550 for businesses — as previous curbs.
However water rangers only last week doled out the first two fines to residents since initial restrictions became enforceable in September.
Children are banned from playing under sprinklers, and gardeners can’t use sprinklers or hoses, under Level 2 restrictions,
Gardeners will be able to use a watering can or bucket on their lawns and gardens for as long as they like, provided they do so before 10am or after 4pm.
Sydney councils will only be allowed to water ovals for half an hour a week, in the early morning or late afternoon.
There will be a ban on washing cars with a hose, even if the hose has a trigger nozzle. Anyone who wants to wash their car, truck, motorbike or caravan must use a bucket and sponge or go to a commercial car wash.
Cleaning walls, roofs, paths and driveways will also be banned from Tuesday, even with a high pressure hose, unless there is a health or safety issue.
Although it’s not policed, saving water by limiting showers to only four minutes is also hoped to cut down on water use.
There is no decent rain in site, and continued hot and dry weather is allowing rapid evaporation from dams.
Dams in the lower Hunter are at 58 per cent, dropping at a rapid rate of 1 per cent a week and will completely run out of water in 18 months.
Newcastle’s Level 2 Water Restrictions only allow the watering of gardens for 15 minutes every second day, and cars and boats will also need to be washed with buckets.
The lower Hunter has only had water restrictions for eight months, during which time the community has used 17 per cent less water than normal, which is a saving equivalent to 62,000 homes.
In her letter to regional councils, NSW water minister Melinda Pavey urged them to consider unprecedented action ahead of another forecast hot and dry summer, including recycling wastewater.
“In the past six months, the impacts of this drought have spread to areas unfamiliar with severe drought,” Ms Pavey said.
“Do the conditions warrant the early introduction of water restrictions this summer?
“What sacrifices might you have to make to ensure important social infrastructure remains open?
“Are there broader opportunities to recycle water throughout your communities?”
Originally published as Sydney water restrictions elevated to Level 2 as dam levels hit 45%