Walcha mayor Janelle Archdale said there was only six to eight weeks’ supply left in the off-creek water storage holding, which had reduced by 30 per cent in the past two weeks.

The town moved to level three water restrictions in mid-January, but residents are being urged to reduce their water consumption even further.

“It’s drying up more quickly than we thought,” Cr Archdale said.

“Everything is buckets now. If things get worse, we might even start banning buckets unless it’s grey water.

“Evaporation is definitely a major issue.”

If there is no decent rain soon, the council is considering carting water in from Armidale in milk tankers or using private dams and bores.

“None of this we’ve budgeted for, so it’s going to be expensive,” she said.

She met with council general manager Jack O’Hara yesterday and discussed approaching state MP Adam Marshall and federal member Barnaby Joyce about assistance options.

“We are going to work out a strategy and work some options out,” she said.

She said water quality was also being affected as the water level dropped.

“The quality of the water is an issue now. As the water level drops, it gets warmer and the risk of algae increases,” she said

Cr Archdale has encouraged residents to use buckets in baths and showers and to capture washing machine and dishwasher water.