With more wet weather on the way, we’re asking everyone in the Douglas Shire to keep water conservation front of mind.
While it might seem unusual to save water during the wet season, heavy rainfall washes turbidity into our catchments, which can temporarily impact our treatment plants’ ability to produce drinking water.
Over the Christmas period, while many were enjoying a well‑earned break, our on‑call teams were hard at work keeping Council’s water supply systems operating safely.
Thanks to their efforts, all schemes were managed within normal wet‑season operating levels.
📊 Recent snapshot (19/12/25 – 4/01/26):
Lowest reservoir level recorded: 60% during a rainfall event of 100 mm in 24 hours
Treatment plants were switched off for roughly 10% of the time due to high turbidity (which is typical for this time of year).
Even during the wet season, extended periods of rainfall can reduce water storage levels because treatment plants must pause when turbidity spikes.
During disaster season, Council recommends that people store tap water or bottled water such that you have access to drinking water should there be any interruption to water supply.
Please continue to use water wisely — every small effort helps maintain stable supply for our community.
