TAMWORTH water users are being asked to cut back even more on their water consumption and adopt a new wave of conservation principles to back the tough outdoor water bans.
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The appeal for more restraint comes as consumption figures suggest Tamworth water users have slackened off when it comes to their water-saving and the water level of Chaffey Dam continues to drop.
Tamworth Regional Council’s water director Bruce Logan has admitted that figures showed there hadn’t been big consumer dips in usage patterns despite tighter water rules.
Mr Logan’s appeal came as he forecast that, while Chaffey was now at an official low of just over
20 per cent capacity, there’s up to three years’ supply left in the dam if consumption figures remain at present levels.
Chaffey is at its lowest physical point in nearly 12 months, but the new official figure of 20 per cent – of the potential 102,868-megalitre capacity level of the enlarged dam – is the lowest since late June in 2007.
Tamworth reached emergency water levels and its lowest-ever point at 13.9 per cent in early June of 2007.
Water watchers are hoping forecast rain from Thursday might translate into valuable runoff for Chaffey Dam and arrest the spiralling water level and further tough water rules.
The falling water mark triggered new level 4 rules on Saturday and the toughest water bans in nine years.
But weather forecasters are predicting a good chance of some decent rainfalls across the Tamworth area, with up to 20mm forecast over on Thursday and Friday – and the council is hoping for good runoff, too.
“Lots of people are hanging out for it,” Moree weather station officer Michael Glasson said.
“And there’s a high chance of rain, which will probably develop on Thursday. The signs are there and it looks a bit promising.”
Mr Logan is also hoping it will fall mostly in the headwaters of the Peel River above Nundle and Chaffey Dam, to boost levels in our main city water supply dam.
It’s now a week since the dam fell to the new water rules trigger point and, in the week before then, Mr Logan said there’d only been a daily average inflow of two megalitres into the dam.
He’s hoping that will be reversed over the weekend.
The new water rules mean no watering from town supply at all outdoors.
Only the cleaning of vehicle windows, windscreens and mirrors can be done – with buckets.
Pools cannot be filled or topped up.
However, recycled, grey water and rainwater from tanks not connected to the town water supply can be used outdoors.
About 20,000 properties connected to treated water are affected, including at Moonbi and Kootingal because, due to the dry conditions in the Cockburn River, the Moonbi-Kootingal water supply system is being supplemented by the Tamworth supply.
Mr Logan said consumption levels generally across the region had reduced since the weather had started to cool and daylight saving ended.
“But we need some constant rain over a few days and then good follow-up falls,” he said.
“The Bureau of Meteorology has said the outlook from May to July is in favour of wetter conditions and we certainly hope that is the case.”
Tamworth, Moonbi and Kootingal have the tightest water restrictions in the region. Barraba is on the lowest level, known as permanent water conservation measures, while Nundle is on level 2, and Attunga, Bendemeer, Manilla and Nundle are all on level 1 water restrictions.
