Water restrictions increase to level 1 in Capella
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Posted on December 19, 2019
Capella dams. Note: This is an archive image.
Water restrictions in the Central Highlands’ town of Capella will increase to level 1 until further notice.
This is due to the capacity of Capella’s dams. These restrictions apply to council’s urban treated and raw water supplies.
These restrictions do not apply to:
Rain, grey or private bore water. People using either of these are encouraged to install a sign for public awareness. Properties holding their own water allocations or license. Properties granted an exemption issued by Central Highlands Regional Council.This imposes the following restrictions on residential gardens and commercial premises:
Level 1 reduces the watering times of normal sprinklers to two hours in the morning (Between 6.00 am and 8.00 am) and evening (between 7.00 pm and 9.00 pm).
This applies to lawns and garden beds. On garden beds, micro spray and drip irrigation can be used within a four-hour timeframe in the morning (between 5.00 am and 9.00 am) and evening (between 7.00 am and 11.00 pm).
On lawns, micro spray and drip irrigation can be used for two hours in the morning (between 6.00 am and 8.00 am) and evening (between 7.00 am and 9.00pm) only.
Garden beds and shrubbery
Micro spray and drip irrigation: between 5.00 am and 9.00 am and between 7.00 am and 11.00 pm.
Sprinklers: Between 6.00 am and 8.00 am, and 7.00 pm and 9.00 pm.
Lawns
Micro spray and drip systems and/or sprinklers: between 6.00 am and 8.00 am, and between 7.00 pm and 9.00 pm.
Handheld hoses, buckets and watering cans can be used at any time.
Watering days:
Odd-numbered houses: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
Even-numbered houses: Wednesday, Friday, Sunday
No watering on Monday.
Window cleaning: Windows may be cleaned with a trigger hose, buckets or watering cans only.
Washing cars: Cars may be washed with a bucket or watering can and rinsed off with a trigger hose afterwards.
Filling pools and ponds: Swimming pools may be filled with hand-held hoses, buckets or watering cans only.
Ponds may only be topped up to normal level with hand-held hoses, buckets or watering cans.
Cleaning paved areas: Paved areas must not be washed with water unless required as a result of an accident, fire, health hazard or other emergency.
For further details, refer to the water restrictions procedure.
Central Highlands Regional Council Mayor Kerry Hayes said the capacity of Capella’s dams required the restrictions to commence now.
‘Until the catchment in Capella gets rain to top up the dams, people are required to adopt level 1 restrictions,’ Mayor Hayes said.
‘Of course, we would prefer other news ahead of Christmas, but it’s important that people in Capella act on these restrictions.’
Mayor Hayes said that the Capella catchment was unrelated to other Central Highlands towns, that may see an increase in water restriction levels in early 2020.
‘We’ve had plenty of discussion around the Fairbairn Dam and water restrictions in Emerald, Blackwater and Bluff recently,’ he said.
‘It’s important to remember that Capella has its own water source that is not related to and vastly different than the Fairbairn Dam.’
Capella water restrictions were lowered to level 0 in April after rainfall topped up the catchment.