THE considerably warm start to the year has led to a spike in water use in Tamworth.
Daily water consumption topped 41 megalitres a day in January, while daily rates have dropped below 27 megalitres, council is urging the community to use water wisely.
Tamworth Regional Council’s Director Water and Waste, Bruce Logan, said the levels of water consumption have followed the usual seasonal trends recorded during an ongoing dry spell.
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“There has been a higher than usual use of water in Tamworth in the first quarter of this year due to the an extended period of warmer than usual weather along with no substantial rainfall,” Mr Logan said.
“When there is little rain, householders turn on their taps to water their gardens and lawns.”
He anticipated water use to drop as the temperatures continued to cool.
“The average daily consumption in Tamworth during January was high at 41 megalitres a day but this has dropped with the advent of colder weather and based on the usual trend we expect this to continue over winter,” he said.
“In the past seven days the average daily consumption has been 26.5 megalitres a day in Tamworth.”
Mr Logan said residents across the region’s seven water supply areas are always urged to use water wisely.
“Our community is generally very responsible when it comes to conserving water,” he said.
“As the dry weather conditions continue this will become even more important.”
Chaffey Dam’s capacity has dropped more 22 per cent since the start of the year, but Tamworth, Moonbi-Kootingal, Attunga and Barraba remain on permanent water conservation measures, the lowest-level of restrictions in the region.
Outer communities relying on rivers for water supply, including Manilla, Bendemeer and Nundle, all have tighter restrictions in-place.
Nundle residents are currently on level three water restrictions, but with continued dry weather the village could move to level four where all outdoor watering stops except for the well-being of animals.
Manilla is on level two restrictions and Bendemeer is on level one.
A quarterly-report on council’s budget revealed council registered a $1 million increase in income flowed into its water fund following a surge in consumption at the start of the year.
Jacob McArthur
Jacob McArthur is opinions editor for The Canberra Times and Australian Community Media. As part of the Canberra Times' production team, he helps the people of Canberra and beyond get the stories they need, when they need them across a range of platforms, while helping maintain a high editorial standard. Before moving to Canberra in 2020, he started with Australian Community Media in 2015 as a journalist for The Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he kept a close eye on Tamworth Regional Council. Jacob was also the co-host of ACM's Water Pressure podcast where he and Jamieson Murphy took a deep dive on issues and key decisions arising during one of the region's worst droughts on record.
Jacob McArthur is opinions editor for The Canberra Times and Australian Community Media. As part of the Canberra Times' production team, he helps the people of Canberra and beyond get the stories they need, when they need them across a range of platforms, while helping maintain a high editorial standard. Before moving to Canberra in 2020, he started with Australian Community Media in 2015 as a journalist for The Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he kept a close eye on Tamworth Regional Council. Jacob was also the co-host of ACM's Water Pressure podcast where he and Jamieson Murphy took a deep dive on issues and key decisions arising during one of the region's worst droughts on record.
