DOUGLAS Shire will be on Level 1 Water Restrictions from Monday 21 November 2022 after dry conditions caused a drop in water levels at intakes across the shire.
Douglas Shire Council is encouraging the community to be water wise in the home and backyard to help steady creek levels until rainfall arrives.
This includes only using sprinklers and irrigation systems to water the garden overnight on no more than three days per week.
Further to the dry conditions, the Bureau of Meteorology has forecast heatwave conditions in the region until Wednesday next week.
The Rex Creek Intake, which supplies water to Mossman and Port Douglas, has dipped below 320mm.
Douglas Shire Mayor Michael Kerr said changing the way you water your garden can make a real difference to demand.
“If we all water our gardens early in the morning or later in the evening on our designated day, we can reduce the pressure on our water supply while its dry,” he said.
“We are in a La Nina weather pattern, which means we are expecting lots of rain before Christmas, however until then we need to always be mindful of conserving our precious water.”
“Water restrictions are put in place to effectively manage water supplies during drier periods and help us comply with our water licence.”
Council holds a water licence to take water from Rex Creek. This water licence is subject to flow-related conditions that limit the maximum daily rate of take based on the streamflow. As the creek flow declines, so does Council’s ability to draw enough water to satisfy demand.
These licence conditions ensure that there are adequate environmental flows in Rex Creek throughout the year.
While Level 1 water restrictions allow the use of sprinklers and irrigation systems, they must only be used on alternate days, between 6pm and 8am for a maximum of four hours.
- EVEN-numbered houses or no prescribed street number: Wed, Fri, Sun
- ODD-numbered houses: Tue, Thu, Sat
Irrigation systems are not permitted on Mondays. Please visit Council’s website for more information.
Council has a strategy in place to future-proof water supplies and support economic growth.
Key components of Douglas Shire’s water security strategy include:
- Mossman River Intake– securing a second raw water extraction site in Mossman.
- Smart Water Meter Program– Replacing aging retail meter fleet with smart water meters
- Recycled Water & Re-use– Expand Port Douglas recycled water scheme and implement Mossman scheme
- Education & Awareness– Community education and understanding of water security issues.
- Leak detection & pipe upgrades– program of leak detection and replace aging reticulation mains.
Read more here: https://douglas.qld.gov.au/water-wastewater/water-for-the-future/
Visit Council’s Water Management Page for more information.
