Give yourself a pat on the back Orange; it seems we really have committed to saving water.
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To date only one person has been fined for misusing water after being caught watering their lawn.
This fine comes after 10 letters were sent out to residents by Orange City Council in February following up on complaints about inappropriately water use.
Council's water ranger visited properties to follow up on the complaints and eventually an investigation revealed a homeowner was filling up his water tank with residential water.
The identity of the person who has done the wrong thing remains unknown publicly, however the issuing of the fine will serve as a strong reminder to all Orange residents that water use is something council, and the rest of the population, takes very seriously.
Orange is not the only city to have caught someone out for water misuse.
Two people were fined for illegal water use in Bathurst in January, however the number of people caught out in Dubbo is not known as Dubbo Regional Council has oddly chosen not to reveal whether any fines have been issued.
The question is, why is Dubbo's council being so secretive? Is it worried about upsetting people? Or is it taking a softly-softly approach?
While it's not clear what Dubbo's strategy is, what is clear is that Orange City Council is using both the stick and the carrot to keep our water usage in check.
Council's use of congratulatory signage showcasing resident's water use has proved very effective and despite the latest council figures showing water use has increased from 120 litres per per person a day to 138 litres last week, we are still below the Level 5 target of 150 litres.
No matter whether you support the issuing of fines or prefer the gentle approach, council needs to be applauded for doing all it can to reduce our water usage because things really are dire.
The combined storage of Suma Park and Spring Creek Dams is 21.16 per cent.
While rain is forecast for this week the Orange region is still on track to move to tougher Level 6 water restrictions in mid-May.
Without substantial falls Orange will run out of water early next year.
While water use signs are great, and fines serve a purpose, surely we all know exactly why it's so crucial to be mindful of the way we use the little water we have?
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