DOUGLAS Shire will go to Level 1 Water Restrictions as of Wednesday 20 October 2021 due to hot and dry weather hitting the tropics this month.
Douglas Shire Council is encouraging the community to implement water wise strategies in the home and backyard, including the use of sprinklers/irrigation systems to water the garden overnight on three days per week only.
Although the Rex Creek Intake flows are tracking better than previous years, hotter and drier conditions have led to a steady decline of the intake level, which is currently at 410mm.
Douglas Shire Mayor Michael Kerr encourages everyone start with more targeted water usage in the backyard.
“If we all water our gardens early in the morning or later in the evening on our designated day, we can make a real difference to preserve water and reduce the pressure on supply over the coming weeks,” he said.
“Whilst the climate outlook for the weeks ahead indicates below average rainfall, there are indications that a La Nina weather pattern may develop in 2021. This may bring on early rainfall within the next 2-3 months and alleviate the pressure on demand.”
While Level 1 water restrictions allow the use of sprinklers and irrigation systems, they must only be used on alternate days only, between 6pm and 8am for a maximum of 4 hours.
- EVEN-numbered houses or no prescribed street number:Wed, Fri, Sun
- ODD-numbered houses:Tue, Thu, Sat
- No prescribed Street No: Wed, Fri, Sun
Irrigation systems are not permitted on Mondays.
Media Release / Douglas Shire Council
