Council adopts new triggers for drought water restrictions
11 December 2020
Higher triggers reflect how quickly drought escalates in the Tweed
Tweed Shire Council last night resolved to adopt new triggers for water restrictions that will see measures introduced earlier in times of unfolding drought.
While weather forecasts are predicting high rainfall totals across the Tweed in the coming days, the changes to the triggers reflect Council’s longer term drought planning.
The new triggers better reflect how quickly drought can escalate once flows in the Tweed River drop and the Shire’s reticulated water supply becomes entirely reliant on releases from Clarrie Hall Dam.
Council began releasing water from Clarrie Hall Dam on 20 November when it was 98 per cent full. On Thursday, the dam was at 93.5 per cent with the average resident using 222 litres a day this week – 62 litres more than the current target of 160 litres per person per day.
It also follows the village of Tyalgum – which is on a smaller, separate water supply - being placed on level 2 water restrictions this week.
A project reference group has been reviewing Council’s water management strategies for more than 18 months to help Council secure the Tweed’s water supply into the future.
A review of Council’s Drought Management Strategy was part of that process, which is complete but not due to report to Council until the new year.
The new water restriction triggers come into effect when Clarrie Hall Dam reaches:
- 90 per cent - begin water restriction pre-activation activities and ban water sales outside the Shire, with the target usage remaining at 160 litres per person per day
- 85 per cent - level 1 restrictions, asking all residents to reduce water use to 150 litres per person per day
- 75 per cent - level 2 restrictions, reducing water use to 140 litres per person per day
- 65 per cent - level 3 restrictions, reducing water use to 130 litres per person per day
- 55 per cent - level 4 restrictions, reducing water use to 120 litres per person per day, and
- 45 per cent - emergency restrictions, reducing water use to 100 litres per person per day.
“While the Bureau of Meteorology’s outlook for summer still suggests there is a high likelihood of above-average rainfall for much of the country, if the Tweed does not receive useful rainfall in the catchment soon we could trigger level 1 restrictions within eight weeks,” Manager Water and Wastewater Operations Brie Jowett said.
“We don’t know if the rain this weekend and next week will be enough to significantly affect dam and weir levels.
“Regardless, our water use is too high for good times, let alone dry times. We ask every Tweed resident to look at how they use water and find ways to save now.”
Meanwhile, work on the proposed raising of the Clarrie Hall Dam wall is progressing to provide a secure water supply for Tweed residents into the future. For more information on this project, visit www.yoursaytweed.com.au/RaisingClarrieHall