Southern Downs councillors have voted to ease water restrictions and move from emergency level to critical level of 100L per person per day, effective from today, Wednesday 19 February.
In a statement released late today a council spokeswoman said “in making its decision, Council urges residents to remain vigilant with water usage, citing that one rain event did not break the drought”.
Mayor Tracy Dobie said that while the recent rain offered “a reprieve for the community with private dams and water tanks filled to overflowing, more water was still needed in the urban dams”.
“It is a wonderful sight to see green grass and water in our private dams and tanks again, and this certainly offers some hope to our residents and farmers,” Cr Dobie said.
“While our urban dams did receive some inflow from the recent rain and this has allowed Council to relax water restrictions in the interim, much more water is needed and all residents have a responsibility to continue conserve and use water wisely.
“Water will continue to be trucked from Warwick to Stanthorpe until Storm King Dam has six month’s supply.
“Leslie Dam is currently at 18.23 per cent capacity, Storm King Dam is at 17.5 per cent and Connolly Dam is 75.1 per cent full.”
Councillor for Health, Cultural Diversity and Learning Neil Meiklejohn said the community needs “to consider water usage while we are still carting to Stanthorpe and how this will affect the amount of water that we are carting”.
“We’re still in a sensitive state with only three months of water in Storm King Dam,” Cr Meiklejohn said.
“I’m equally aware that people are looking for respite from restrictions.”
The council spokeswoman said the council “again thanked the State Government for its funding and support for the emergency water infrastructure and carting that ensured residents on the reticulated network would continue to have water flowing from their taps”.
THE BASIC OF THE RESTRICTIONS…FROM THE COUNCIL WEBSITE…
Water restrictions do not apply to the use of private bore water, rainwater and bucketed greywater.
All outdoor water use is prohibited – health and safety purposes are exempt by application
Permitted – using a 10 litre bucket filled from a tap – forming part of an individual’s daily allowance –
• Washing vehicle windscreens, windows, mirrors and headlights
• Cleaning of wheelie bins for hygiene
• Washing of family pets, their pens and kennels
• Approved use of greywater from laundry, showers and baths on gardens and lawns within the property boundary
• When a residential property is consuming more than 600 litres per property per day without reasonable cause a fine may be issued
For more details on water restrictions visit www.sdrc.qld.gov.au
