I don’t panic when my car fuel gauge shows half full, so why should Orange City Council panic by implementing level three water restrictions when the combined water storage is at 50 per cent?
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Surely the diverse water sources from the Macquarie Pipeline, stormwater harvesting scheme, bores, rainwater tanks and possible natural inflows to the storages give Orange a secure water supply?
I feel council has missed a great opportunity to show everyone how secure our water supply is.
I expect very little change in water consumption by introducing level three water restrictions.
What is the difference in water consumption between using a soaker hose or a hand-held hose? I suspect very little.
Firstly, residents could be achieving the expected level three consumption rate by their excellent compliance to the full-time level two water restrictions.
Secondly, the major change between the levels is that in level three hand-held hoses are not permitted.
I can’t see this measure will save any significant amount of water. What is the difference in water consumption between using a soaker hose or a hand-held hose? I suspect very little because you may use the soaker hose for a longer time.
The real difference is that some residents miss out on the pleasure of watering their beloved plants. Council should consider approving hand-held hoses for the set hours of water-restrictions.
Council will need to decide whether it will have permanent water-use rules or progressively harsher water restrictions, because I see the methods of water demand management are not complementary.
A comprehensive review of the water supply system, including water consumption, should be undertaken by council.
The review may include further measures to secure Orange’s water supply, including:
- Further expansion of the stormwater harvesting scheme in order to achieve its full potential.
- Continuing to encourage the use of rainwater tanks. In the future have a council policy requiring new homes to have a suitably sized rainwater tank for outdoor use and for flushing toilets.
- The newer suburbs of north Orange will require a substantial quantity of water for outside use. As originally intended, using the effluent from the sewer treatment plant for the purple (recycled water) pipeline would help to satisfy this need. This would require negotiations between council and Cadia Valley Operations to arrive at a mutual agreement for the use of the effluent water.
- Council adopting a continuous transfer of water from Spring Creek and Gosling Creek dams to supplement the water in Suma Park Dam, which is used for Orange’s potable water supply
I will write to council expressing my opinion and suggestions … will you have your say?
Cyril Smith
DO YOU WANT MORE ORANGE NEWS AND VIEWS?
- Receive our free newsletters delivered to your inbox, as well as breaking news alerts. Sign up below …
