Level one water restrictions start on Monday

AS of Monday Scone, Aberdeen and Murrurundi will move from level two to level one water restrictions.

The Upper Hunter Shire Council carried the motion to change the water restrictions during the March Ordinary Meeting.

Council also endorsed the future implementation of ‘Permanent’ water conservation measures when a new Drought Management and Emergency Response Plan is completed.

Councillor Kiwa Fisher and Cr James Burns voted against the motion, after expressing concerns about the return of adverse weather conditions and Glenbawn Dam not being at full capacity.

Editorial note: At the time of the March Meeting, Glenbawn Dam was at 55.5 percent capacity. It is now at 56.7 percent capacity.

“Lake Glenbawn is currently standing at 55.5 percent capacity, are we being a little hasty even with the recent rains?” questioned Cr Fisher.

“We’ve had a wet season, a wet calendar year and we’re still only at 55.5 percent. I worry about the return of adverse conditions and we don’t have the base that we had at the start of the previous drought,” he said.

“I don’t support moving at all. In fact, if we were going to move, I’d go to three. It has rained a lot, dam’s not full, we don’t know what’s going to happen next. Weathermen never get it right and we know that, so it could stop raining tomorrow,” said Cr Burns.

“We need to show a bit of leadership on this one. I think it’s time to stay where we are because we’re expecting Muswellbrook and Singleton to follow our lead, well they can make their own minds up but I’m going to vote against it,” he said.

Cr Campbell asked if a drought policy plan had been implemented and when it would “kick in” to reduce the level one restrictions back to level two.

Phillip Hood, Acting Director of Infrastructure Services said as part of the recommendation the Shire would “essentially we stay on this level until Council decides to move against.”

“Being on level one is still far in advance in regards to the restriction level, according to the current adopted plan, so we are still in advance for the current adopted plan,” said Mr Hood.

“Even through the worse part of the drought that we’ve just been through, we would not have gone to level one according to our adopted plan. The reason we went to level two with the exception of Murrurundi, a lot of that was to do with the community expectation and that is in part how we’ve recognised the need to improve that exisiting plan,” he said.

“Going to level one now is according to our current plan, but we’re moving to level one outside of the normal trigger points,” he said.

Mayor Maurice Collison and Cr Lorna Driscoll voted for the motion, which was moved by Cr Lee Watts and seconded by Cr Ron Campbell. Councillor Sue Abbott was absent from the meeting and therefore did not vote on the motion.

Level 1 water restrictions include:

• Watering lawns and gardens is permitted between 6 am and 10 am and 4 pm and 10 pm;
• Washing vehicles and/or boats with a bucket, and rinse with a hand-held trigger hose on lawn at any time;
• You can top-up or fill pools and spas at any time;
• You can’t wash hard surfaces, walls and windows with a hose at any time. You can spot clean with a bucket and hand-held trigger nozzle or high pressure cleaner only.