Garden watering will be cut to one hour a week and using sprinklers and soaker hoses, washing cars at home and filling swimming pools, even inflatables, will be banned when Level 5 restrictions start in Orange next weekend.
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The restrictions also mean evaporative cooler airconditioning units cannot be used from midnight-7am through the height of summer.
People have been urged to limit showers to three minutes and make sure washing machines and dishwashers are full for every load.
VIDEO: CURRENT WATER RESTRICTIONS
Orange will face some of the tightest water restrictions in Australia as the city's water storage level has dwindled to just 30 per cent.
The Level 5 restrictions will kick in at the same time as daylight savings starts on Sunday October 6.
Orange has been on Level 4 restrictions since April 6.
Existing restrictions including no watering of lawns or new turf will continue.
Orange mayor Reg Kidd said people needed to keep being waterwise.
Orange residents have some of the lowest rates of water use in the country.
- Cr Reg Kidd, Orange mayor
"I'm not denying this will be hard, but it's also very normal," he said.
"Orange residents have some of the lowest rates of water use in the country. We're used to this and that's how we'll get through this drought.
"Locals have learnt how to adjust their gardens, how to mulch, how to have shorter showers and how to run their business all while using a sensible and responsible amount of water."
The target under Level 5 water restrictions is 160 litres per person per day.
VIDEO: WATER SAVING TIPS FROM SAFE WATERMARK'S BLUE HOUSE
Cr Kidd said Orange residents were already using less with an average of 131 litres recorded in one week in September.
Keen gardener and Friends of the Orange Botanic Gardens member Chris Mills said people needed to be prepared for the one hour watering timeslot from 6pm-7pm on Sundays.
"You must water deeply on each plant and you must mulch," he said.
Mr Mills said native plants, succulents and deep-rooted plants were the hardiest.
Mr Mills said people could use either vegetable mulch such as sugar cane or a gravel-based mulch around their plants.
He said the vegetable mulch helped the soil while the gravel allowed better water absorption.
Orange City Council will also start a community awareness program called Water for Life which will offer water-saving tips, encourage people to share their own advice and work with businesses to save water.
Key differences between Level 4 and Level 5 restrictions:
- Moving from a two-hour watering period on two days a week, to a one-hour water time on one day a week. (Sundays 6pm-7pm)
- No sprinklers, micro-sprays, or soaker hoses. Instead use buckets, watering cans, drip system or a hand-held hose with a trigger nozzle for 30 minutes during the single watering period
- No topping up swimming pools or filling new swimming pools
- No washing cars at home
- No filling or topping up water features and
- No filling children's inflatable pools.
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