Monday 21 December 2009
Tuesday is crunch day for Barraba water users – a last ditch chance to slash consumption or face emergency Level 4 restrictions.
Tamworth Regional Council says an around the clock watch on water consumption at Barraba will end tomorrow night with a decision to be made about Christmas and New Year water conservation measures.
At this stage, it appears unlikely that Barraba can avoid Level 4 water bans being invoked and that means no outside water use of town supplies at all.
Only recycled water can be used outside and watering of public parks will cease. As well, there is no vehicle washing allowed – except to clean windows, and no filling or topping up of private pools.
Tamworth Regional Council acting water enterprises director Michael Bryant says there has been little improvement in water use at Barraba over the past four days, despite appeals from TRC for residents to conserve supplies and only buckets and cans allowed for outdoor water use. All hoses are banned.
Barraba must reduce its usage immediately as TRC is faced with a critical need to maintain some supply for firefighting, health, and breakdown emergency needs.
The consumption rate saw Barraba use 505 kilolitres on Thursday, 448 on Friday, 438 on Saturday and 460 kilolitres on Sunday.
The two emergency bores that are the only source of the town supply at present are pumping at a total combined flow of 400 kilolitres a day.
Mr Bryant has suggested that apart from a miracle, or a huge downpour that will bring new flows into the Barraba Creek and Manilla River, normally the main town supply channels, Barraba will move to Level 4 on Wednesday.
Mr Bryant says the decision needs to be taken then because the festive and holiday period represents a critical consumption period where water use would normally rise because the temptation to water would be too much and more people are at home from work and have more time and the opportunity to water.
At Hills Plain, residents appear to have heeded appeals to cut out unnecessary use – but general manager Glenn Inglis says they have to maintain the conservation measures because they’re not out of danger yet.
Over the weekend, Hills Plain consumption dropped back to a normal level and it appears they have complied with the Level 1 restrictions. Monitoring suggests outside watering was kept to a period from 6:00pm to 9:00am but TRC says that has to continue over the next week if the rural residential area is going to avoid having Level 2 or Level 3 bans imposed on them. This would severely limit outside use.
Mr Inglis said the reservoir appeared to have gained about 20% capacity over the last three days – which was a great turnaround from the previous 10 days’ loss of 2% a day but daily monitoring will continue over the festive period. Hills Plain residents are asked to cut all outside use to a bare minimum but water rules mean sprinkler use is allowed from 6:00pm-8:00pm and only hand held hoses from 6:00pm to 8:00am.