From tomorrow, we will not be able to use town water outside – at all – full stop – no exceptions.

Well, there is grey water of course – so does that mean extra long showers and big baths? – because don’t be fooled, this situation is not just about water waste “outside”.

As one person rightly penned during the week, it’s also about what goes on behind closed doors.

Do you stand there waiting for the hot water to come through to the shower from the hot water system at the other end of the house? Do you stand there with the tap running while you brush your teeth?

Do you throw out that last little bit of water in the glass – just because you’ve overfilled it and don’t feel like any more?

It’s all about good practice really, and making the most of what should be treated as a scarce resource.

In the olden days – and we’ve heard this more than once in The Leader office this week – you had a tank full of water and unless it rained, that was it.

It was up to you to decide how you used it, whether you put it on your garden or not. 

No one is advocating a return to the good old days – we have, after all, just spent millions of dollars making Chaffey Dam bigger – but don’t just assume it’s the outside “waterers” that have got us “into this predicament”.

Is there a need to start a conversation about our future water use? Yes, there is.

A council/community review of the water management plan going back to 2015 was just the beginning. It resulted in changes to water restrictions for both residential and business users, and means the water triggers are a lot tougher, though some would argue not necessarily a lot smarter.

It’s a shame though, that we only tend to have these conversations – or get really serious about the problem at this point – because who knows when we will hit the trigger for restrictions to be eased again. It could be a very long wait.