Cr Roz Frohloff
August 21, 2019
The South Burnett will stay on Level 3 water restrictions for the present … providing residents continue to use water responsibly.
At Wednesday’s Council meeting, Councillors were told the region’s residents currently use an average of 140 litres per person per day.
In response to a question by Cr Roz Frohloff, Infrastructure General Manager Aaron Meehan told the meeting that while Bjelke-Petersen Dam’s level is now about 5.7 per cent, levels in Boondooma, Gordonbrook and Boobir dams were enough to maintain current restrictions.
Mr Meehan said modelling of water consumption by his department indicated Level 3 restrictions could stay in place until at least Christmas if no rain fell.
But the modelling would require a review if the situation didn’t improve in summer.
If that happened, an increase in water restrictions might be required in the first half of next year.
The current Level 3 restrictions were imposed in July 2017.
They ban the use of sprinklers, and hosing concrete or paved areas.
Hand-held watering is permitted from 7:00am to 8:00am and 5:00pm to 6:00pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays for odd-numbered houses; and on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays for even-numbered houses.
No residential watering is permitted on Mondays.
Cr Frohloff told the meeting the South Burnett recently joined a campaign being run by the State Government and Toowoomba, Southern Downs, Western Downs and Goondiwindi Regional Councils.
The campaign is being run on TV, radio and social media with the aim of encouraging responsible water use and water conservation measures.
Water levels are currently so low in the Southern Downs Regional Council’s area that extreme water restrictions are now in place.
Southern Downs residents are being asked to use a maximum of 120 litres per person, per day, and risk heavy fines if they use more than 800 litres per property per day without a reasonable excuse.
Both Stanthorpe and Warwick face the possibility of running out of water in their local storages by December.
