With water storage dropping about 1 per cent a week due to water use and evaporation, Orange City Council has forecast it will fall below 40 per cent by the end of March. 

Technical services director Ian Greenham confirmed the matter would come before councillors at the next meeting on March 19, the final meeting before the threshold is due to be reached, assuming no inflows into Suma Park Dam from rain, stormwater harvesting or the Macquarie River pipeline.

Councillor Stephen Nugent asked if Orange could piggyback on Bathurst City Council's TV advertisements on level three restrictions, but other councillors were reluctant to switch strategies when the majority of Orange residents were diligent.

"If you keep slogging them, they will go the opposite way," mayor Reg Kidd said.

"[Last drought], we had a drought management plan and they had no restrictions - if you start talking about doomsday, we will move towards the path of doomsday."

Receive our free newsletters delivered to your inbox, as well as breaking news alerts. Sign up below ...