Orange mayor Reg Kidd has hit back at claims by a Bathurst councillor that its residents were conserving more water in the drought.
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Cr Kidd said Bathurst's Warren Aubin was wrong to claim he saw a water consumption sign stating "140-something" litres of water per person per day were being used in Orange.
"Orange have put up notification boards that say what their usage per person is, and it's way up on what ours is," Cr Aubin said.
"We're down to 129, they were still raving about 140-something when I went through there [last week].
"We're up Orange like a rat up a drainpipe."
However Cr Kidd said Orange was continuing to show Bathurst and the rest of the state how to conserve water.
"His figures are totally incorrect. The highest we have got to in the last two months was 136.
"I congratulate Bathurst on finally taking water management seriously. They were in dire straits.
"We've been doing water management year-in year-out and have been doing it for several years."
Cr Kidd said Orange's water use for June was less than 130 litres per person per day and in July it was 132.
His figures are totally incorrect.
- Orange mayor Cr Reg Kidd
He said OCC put its figures up every week on the council website.
"I am looking forward to following the weekly and monthly consumption of water use in Bathurst," he said.
Water usage figures on the two council's websites show both have been below 140 litres per person per day over the past six weeks.
Cr Kidd has also questioned plans by other councils to reduce water restrictions which would allow people to water their lawns in winter.
"We're not out of the drought yet, [though] we have had some terrific rain," he said. He said all councils should be continuing to encourage water conservation.
"It doesn't set a good example," Cr Kidd said.
"There's no need to water your lawns in winter."
Dubbo Regional Council is considering cutting its restrictions to Level one.
It would allow watering of lawns whenever residents wanted to do it.
Under level one, the public would also be allowed to wash down paved surfaces or windows with a hose.
A council spokesman said it had received about 90 complaints this year, and just three in winter, from residents about people misusing water.
However it had led to only one fine.
Orange is still on Level 5 water restrictions which bans people from watering their lawns. Garden watering is only allowed for a short period on Sundays.
The latest water use figures from council show Orange residents used 136 litres per person per day in the week up to last Friday.
It also shows Suma Park Dam is currently at 24.54 per cent capacity and Spring Creek Dam is 46.31 per cent capacity.
The situation is better elsewhere with both Lake Canobolas and Gosling Creek Dam being full.
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