IT MIGHT be officially autumn, but you wouldn’t know it if you walked outside.
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Summer’s come and gone, but temperatures will be back on the rise this weekend with tipped to climb to 37 degrees in Tamworth on Sunday.
Water carrier Dave Henry said it had been a busy period following a dry summer.
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He said Woolomin, Nundle and Moore Creek, in particular, had missed what little rain had fallen in recent weeks.
“We had a little bit of relief, but it starting to ramp back up,” Mr Henry said.
“It hasn’t been enough to fill up the tanks, it might get people through for another week or two, but then they’re back to buying water.”
He urged people to make the most of the rain when it fell by being prepared.
“Keep your gutters and downpipes cleared,” he said.
“Some places we go to, we see leaves blocking the gutters.
“So what rain we’re getting isn’t going in the tank.
Restrictions tightened
Tamworth Regional Council (TRC) is about enforce the tightest restrictions seen in more than a decade in one community.
From Saturday, Nundle residents will have to abide by TRC’s level three restrictions for the first time since February 2007 when it comes into effect on Saturday.
On level three restrictions, handheld hoses can be used for 15 minutes between 6pm and 8pm.
“There has been no flow in the river at Nundle for the past month and under council’s drought management plan, level three restrictions are triggered when the flow drops below 15 megalitres per month,” water and waste director Bruce Logan said.
He said the upper reaches of the Peel catchment had no substantial rain for months.
There’s better news for Manilla and Bendemeer where restrictions will be relaxed from level two to level one after some rain has boosted the flows of the Namoi and Macdonald rivers.
Bendemeer has been on level two water restrictions since February 23, while Manilla has been on that level since February 10.
More information on restrictions can be found online.