Parkes Shire's villages in the west have now moved to Level 3 water restrictions to reduce the strain on the B-Section Pipeline and all those connected to it.
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The new water restrictions came into effect on Saturday, February 1 on the Parkes Shire Council controlled section of the Forbes to Tottenham water supply system, after a recommendation was tabled at council's January 21 meeting.
The 130km of what is referred to as the B-Section Pipeline - which runs from Forbes to Tottenham via Gunningbland, Bogan Gate, Trundle and Tullamore - is struggling to meet the demands induced by the ongoing drought, council reports.
"In an effort to effectively manage water supply and security for our residents, as well as those in neighbouring shires, Level 3 restrictions [have been] introduced for residents in Gunningbland, Bogan Gate, Trundle and Tullamore," council's General Manager Kent Boyd said.
"Significant extraction from standpipes, particularly, along the Parkes Shire section has meant that at times supply to communities within the Lachlan Shire has been almost completely exhausted.
"We were finding that...at times the flow into the Lachlan Shire was zero.
"Lachlan Shire Council have been forced to cart water from Parkes and Forbes by truck to the Albert Reservoir to ensure basic supply to their consumers further along the pipeline.
"With Tottenham on Level 4 restrictions, it's only fair and reasonable the Parkes Shire section of the supply system moves to Level 3."
Under Level 3 water restrictions, domestic users can water with hand-held hoses, soaker hoses, microsprays and drip systems between the hours of 6am and 9am; and 6pm and 9pm on alternate days:
- For odd numbered properties (1,3,5..etc) the days are Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday.
- For even numbered properties (2,4,6.. etc) the days are Wednesday, Friday, Sunday.
- No watering is permitted on Mondays.
- Watering systems and non-fixed sprinklers are not permitted.
"Living in Tullamore and seeing what the Level 3 water restrictions are, I think they're still extremely manageable, I think they're actually quite generous in parts," Deputy Mayor Barbara Newton said at the meeting.
"I don't think it's going to be a problem in communities of Tullamore and Trundle."
For further information regarding Level 3 water restrictions, visit www.parkes.nsw.gov.au.
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