During the recent drought, I was very vocal about the poor state of Tamworth's water and was hoping by now those concerns would be behind us by now but sadly they aren't.

Being a long-term resident (born here in 1953) I have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly that mother nature has thrown at us which includes drought fires and floods.

It is common knowledge that there is a blue print as disclosed by Tamworth Regional Council, for a future population of 100,000 residents.

With this in mind under the current water management plan, this population would not be sustainable keeping in mind that the state government and not Tamworth Regional Council controls our water supply.

Given we are now at approximately 42 per cent in Chaffey Dam we have returned to Level 1 restrictions which allows the use of sprinklers between 6 and 8pm.

This has caused real concern among local residents as they believe tighter restrictions should be retained to conserve the water for drier times again.

However, the problem with this is that if the water is not used locally it will still be redirected to other users.

Therefore, the real problem is not just the amount of water stored but how it is managed.

I was lead to believe that when Chaffey Dam was increased in capacity it should not be allowed to drop below 43 per cent, but as we know it went down to 28 per cent which was then further eroded due to lack of rain and we were facing the real possibility of no water had we not received good rain toward the end of last year and into this year.

With this in mind you do not have to be too clever to realise that what needs to change is how the state government manages the water.

As residents how do we get a say in this? Well it is via our local member Kevin Anderson who is sympathetic towards the problem but he needs support to have his voice heard in parliament.

I say two years on Level 5 restrictions is enough and it is time for this nonsense to end.

As a result of the inadequate NSW Government Water Management Plan it was decided to increase the capacity of Dungowan Dam below the existing dam.

Again however as some others have pointed out, what will this do if the water is not managed properly.

We cannot and should not have to put through scarce water resources given our current and future growth rate. In saying this there has to be a better balance between residents, irrigators and commercial water use and all aspects of water usage needs to urgently be reviewed.

From a resident's point of view, there are several areas that in my opinion could be addressed.

Firstly, the allowable sprinkler usage times should not be between 6 and 8pm. At 6pm, it is still hot so too much water is lost through heat. It should be a minimum of 7 to 9pm.

Secondly, it should be mandatory that any use of sprinklers should only be allowed with timers as too often they are put on and forgotten about unless you have a proper irrigation system.

All new dwellings should be fitted with grey water reuse systems and a minimum of 10,000-litre water tank(s).

A study some years ago of water usage was done and disclosed that 80 per cent of water is used outside on gardens and lawns and of this 80 per cent was used on grassed areas.

Well known landscaper Jamie Durie said at least 10 years ago the "Australia had to let go of having a quarter of an acre of grass".

The amount of grass used in landscaping should be reduced to say 35 to 40 per cent which many people may comply with already.

The balance of the landscaping should then be outdoor living areas and water resistant plants.

Then, to minimise water usage fertiliser needs to be used on grass two or three times a year to keep it green as water by itself unless rainwater will not do it.

There are several affordable products these days that will achieve a great result. Further to this only use water as required. Overwatering does not promote good root growth and can be counterproductive.

Clever placement of trees can promote good shade and again less water needed. I do not know how many times I have been asked "how do you keep your grass so green?" to which I have said, "not just water but fertiliser resulting in much less water being used".

Now don't get me wrong I to see great rich green lawns and nice gardens but it can be done in a water wise fashion. The amount of products available today to create outdoor areas is amazing and only limited by your imagination.

Off street visitor parking should also be considered as this would create more landscaping opportunities other than grass and keep cars off the street. Cars parked on streets in my view enhances burglary in a neighbourhood.

If there is one positive that has come out of our recent experiences with water it is that we should not take it for granted and especially not waste it.

Where possible cooling systems should be reverse cycle which are now becoming more affordable and use far less water.

Evaporative systems were popular in Tamworth as they work in a dry heat but are heavy water users. However we are experiencing more humid months in Tamworth now and they are no longer as efficient.

Any water required for commercial use where possible should be non potable (non-drinking water) recycled water.

Many commercial premises particularly industrial premises with large roof spans have a huge capacity for harvesting water via above or underground tanks particularly under parking areas where it would not be noticed.

Potable water should not be used for settling dust for example on road works. Sporting fields should utilise tanks or have their own bore.

Outdoor town pools are becoming extinct and being replaced by indoor acquatic centres that do not lose so much water through evaporation.

Irrigators need to be looked after to ensure their contractual water needs are met but this can only be achieved if the water is managed efficiently.

The idea of treating effluent for reuse is a step in the right direction if only for non potable commercial use.

There are many examples in Tamworth already where water recycling and or harvesting of water is in use.

We just have to make it the norm and not the exception which comes back to council when assessing development applications.

Median strips do not have to be always grass in fact if you drive into the Central Coast towards Terrigal very few of them are grass but hard wearing ornamental grass plants.

In summary, water useage is a team effort involving the community, council and state government and team means TOGETHER EVERYONE ACHIEVING MORE so come on Tamworth let's get together and resolve this once and for all as your children and their children's future is at stake.

Richie Thornton, Tamworth

Bruce Logan rightly points out in the recent article about water savings through water restrictions, that Chaffey Dam management is in the hands of the state government and this does not guarantee Tamworth water security.

If the proposed $484 million new Dungowan Dam is controlled by the state government then Tamworth will have less control over its water supply than now.

Better water security for Tamworth would be achieved if this public funding was invested in a diverse range of water supply and demand options.

Dams do not catch water in a drought.

Bev Smiles, Inland Rivers Network President

Nancy Pelosi has signed the second Trump impeachment document and finally it's not fake news that Donald Trump has achieved something no other president has.

When you see the document it is clear that the signature is small and the words are of massive importance whereas with recent Executive orders the signature is massive and the words are of a small importance.

Most people want to return to a world where troubles are small and happiness is massive. This should start in less than a week.

Dennis Fitzgerald, Box Hill

News that the United States of America House of Representatives has impeached President Donald Trump for the second time will be a bit boring to the many now used to the partisan circus which masquerades as Congress, worse, it seems to me, than our parliaments, though many of my fellow-correspondents to this page may dispute that.

I'd have preferred Trump's removal from office using the 25th Amendment as an historic proof of his political "martyrdom" to democracy, but the impeachment being only the second double in history will do the job OK. Oh, and he'll "rise again" or "Be back".

The particular benefit of the double impeachment is to put the closing focus of the Trump presidency back on the hypocritical degeneracy of the Congress itself. Reported Republican Congressional supporters of attack on Trump are especially useful.

The whole hysteria about a riot in the Capitol, "incited" by Trump as we laughingly read in the big media, as if we could know, does much more than expose the hypocrisy of this Congress that hardly uttered a peep while the Democrat - Black Lives Matter - Antifa alliance promoted through the mass media riots in 48 American cities.

Congress' performance while its own Democrat members attacked Trump by abusing the US constitution for four years with bogus investigation, impeachment and obstruction of the presidential executive power's popularly mandated policies, was just as hopeless.

But I think the horror at the occupation of the Capitol, the seat of Congress and "the most recognised seat of democratic government in the world" (www.senate.gov), has particularly exposed the terror of Congress at Trump's threat to this timewasting, politically and governmentally derelict body clinging to its comfortable and prestigious seats, pushing back the people's suspicion of its substantial corruption, with patriotically sentimental symbolism remote from the people's interests.

What, really, is the difference between the Capitol and the neighbourhoods of the 48 cities subjected to riot, and the violent and sometimes fatal disorder of "protest", blamed with the media's bias on Trump all the more when he brought federal police in to stop it?

How about, as a symbol, the poorly provided dining tables of what, 30 million, 60 million Americans in the flyover states and the rust belt that were economically left behind by economic globalism, the tables of the deplorables who gave Trump the victory that wasn't supposed to happen?

Why, you could stretch those tables out, since they'd be mostly plastic, join 'em up, and stick the other end in the Moon!

How about the biggest chup-a-chup ever as a symbol of democracy? Even if it didn't get on TV you might still be sort of able to see it.

Stan Heuston, Oxley Vale

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