TWO water forums next week will Orange residents the chance to ask questions about what is becoming an increasingly scarce resource.
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Orange City Council will hold forums on Monday, November 4 at 5.30 pm in the Orange Civic Theatre foyer and Thursday, November 7 at 12pm in the council chambers.
Chief executive officer David Waddell said there was a "huge amount of interest" in water at the moment.
"Whether it's water restrictions, or how long the water in the dam will last, or how our stormwater harvesting system works, it's a topic that everyone is talking about," he said.
"On top of the work that's already been done, we're working on a number of different water infrastructure projects and we want to keep people in the loop about progress."
The forums were requested by councillors last week due to questions from the public. Mr Waddell said there were clear signs people were taking level five water restrictions seriously.
"For the last two weeks there's been a sudden and very noticeable spike in our water consumption on Sunday nights between 6pm and 7pm," he said.
... we're working on a number of different water infrastructure projects.
- Orange City Council chief executive officer David Waddell
"That's a sign people are willing to work together and only watering their gardens in line with the time mentioned in the level five restrictions. That's encouraging."
The forums are set to last for one hour, including a series of short presentations from a panel of council staff about different aspects of water management.
Half an hour will be dedicated to taking questions from residents - Mr Waddell said although the awareness campaign had included TV, radio, newspaper, online and mailed brochures, the face-to-face opportunity would also be valuable.
Level 5 water restrictions were introduced to Orange on October 6.
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.
People have been urged to limit showers to three minutes and make sure washing machines and dishwashers are full for every load.
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