The Douglas Shire community is being urged to reduce water use immediately or potentially face more disruptions to supply.
Demand is outweighing the available supply of treated water, with some reservoir levels dropping dramatically in the past 24 hours.
Multiple land slips and heavy rainfall last night have also caused high turbidity (cloudy water), providing ongoing challenges in the water treatment process.
Douglas Shire Mayor Michael Kerr said the turbidity had posed difficulties in ensuring the quality and safety of the water supply.
“To address this issue and restore the water supply to normal levels, it is imperative that residents and businesses that are on mains supply reduce their water consumption immediately,” Mayor Kerr said.
“If the demand for water does not decrease, Council will be compelled to implement rolling limitations and/or stopping of supply across the shire.
“It is crucial for everyone to cooperate and conserve water during this challenging period.”
The limitations will be necessary to ensure that the available water supply can be built back to its normal capacity and continue to provide this crucial asset to all customers.
Residents are advised to avoid any unnecessary water consumption, such as long showers, washing machines, using the hose for cleaning, filling pools or watering lawns.
Council crews are actively working to address the turbidity issue and restore the water supply to its normal state.
Further updates will be available through the official channels, including Douglas Shire Council’s website, the Disaster Dashboard and social media platforms.
“The cooperation and understanding of the community during this challenging time is greatly appreciated,” Mayor Kerr said.
“By working together, we can overcome this water shortage and ensure the long-term sustainability of our water resources.”
