Level one water restrictions to start at midnight on Friday, December 20

Level one water restrictions to start at midnight on Friday, December 20

Level one water restrictions will begin in the Yass Valley at midnight on Friday, December 20.

Yass Valley Council’s Director of Engineering, Stan Robb, said Council has decided to impose water restrictions now as a direct result of community concerns amidst worsening heatwave conditions, unprecedented state-wide bushfires and today’s declaration of a State of Emergency in NSW.

“We are constantly monitoring water levels in the Yass Dam and our water usage across the Local Government Area and the situation is constantly changing,” Mr Robb said.

“A State of Emergency has been declared in NSW for the second time in as many months and we are currently facing extreme weather conditions in the Yass Valley with the Bureau of Meteorology predicting temperatures to exceed 40 degrees Celsius today and tomorrow.

“The rate of water evaporation increases dramatically when the weather is hot, dry and windy and, as a result, Council has made the decision to act now and impose level one water restrictions to address the risk of water supply in the Yass Valley over the coming months.”

Mr Robb said Council has listened to the community and will be cutting back on watering local sporting fields, parks and open spaces, continuing negotiations surrounding the use of Yass Standpipe water and exploring options for how best to support our rural residents who are the hardest hit by the enduring drought.

“We are looking at ways we can support our rural community in relation to water access, for example subsidising the cost of water (excluding transport costs) for our local farmers. Under our draft water restrictions policy, any usage of the standpipe is also restricted to within our Local Government Area and Council is negotiating with our biggest standpipe users in an effort to encourage them to go elsewhere for water,” Mr Robb said.

Emergency services will be exempt from water restrictions and there will be no limit whatsoever on water supply in the event of a bushfire in the Yass Valley.

Council advises that the direct extraction of water from local waterways is strictly prohibited without a licence issued by WaterNSW. Council does not issues these licenses and encourages anyone who notices the unlawful extraction of water from the Yass Dam or Yass River to directly contact WaterNSW.

What are level one water restrictions?

Private residences Sprinklers (these include pop-ups and micro-sprays) or hand held hoses or drippers in accordance with the following schedule:

Odd street numbered houses on odd numbered days – 6pm to 9pm in the summer months and 4pm to 7pm in the winter months.  Even street numbered houses on even numbered days – 6pm to 9pm in the summer months and 4pm to 7pm in the winter months. Houses only with elderly people are allowed to water between 7am-10am on alternative days. Buckets can be used anytime for essential garden watering only that does not cause pooling or runoff. No hosing of hard surfaces unless cleaning is required as the result of an accident, fire, health hazard or other emergency. Vehicles may be washed on the grassed areas rather than paved surfaces, no more than once per week using: o A bucket or watering can.o A hand held hose fitted with a trigger nozzle.o A high pressure/low volume cleaner.

Private swimming pools Filling and topping up with a hand held hose only. Pool covers are encouraged.

For commercial premises Same as private usage except there are not restrictions on commercial vehicle wash facilities.

For public places Parks, ovals and gardens watered at minimum level for sustainability.

Fines of $220 will apply for residents and $550 for businesses who don’t follow the restrictions.

Standpipe users Council’s standpipe will continue to provide a facility for the use of water for residential use, construction and road works within the Yass Valley Local Government Area. However, in line with the NSW Government's priority to allocate water to safeguard essential town water supplies, Council may restrict industry’s access to the reticulated town water supply if it puts our water supplies at risk.

What’s next? Level one water restrictions will remain in place until storage levels have fully recovered, but even rainfall does not guarantee water in our catchment areas. If drought conditions continue, Council could move through water restrictions levels two and three.

A draft Water Supply Restrictions Policy was placed on public exhibition following the November Council meeting and can still be viewed on Council’s website www.yassvalley.nsw.gov.au/our-council/public-consultation/article/551

Submissions on the Draft Water Supply Restrictions Policy close at 5pm on Tuesday, 31 December.

19 December 2019

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