All water restrictions in the Douglas Shire have been lifted after water-wise behaviour and recent showers have seen water intake levels rise.

The Shire has been on water restrictions since September following a very dry end to 2019.

The intake level at Rex Creek continues to rise above 500mm with recent showers and settle at a more conservative 250mm during breaks in rainfall.

By comparison, intake levels dropped to below 100mm at its lowest point during Level 3 Water Restrictions in December.

Douglas Shire Mayor Julia Leu commended the community for showing restraint in its water usage during the dry season.

“Council received fantastic support from the community and key water users to reduce consumption through the dry season,” she said.

“We’d like to thank everyone for working hard to tighten their taps and protect our precious water resource during the dry period.

“Council staff are finalising the design of a new extraction site at the Mossman River before they engage with the State Government about the project.”

The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting an increase in rainfall in the coming weeks and residents are advised to prepare for the wet season.

Mayor Leu, who is chair of the Douglas Local Disaster Management Group (LDMG), said everyone needs to avoid becoming complacent this wet season.

“We saw how quickly disaster can strike with the record-breaking flooding of the Daintree River on the Australia Day weekend last year.

“I want to encourage everyone to be prepared and plan ahead by asking yourself if a severe storm, cyclone or flood hit tomorrow, am I ready?” She said.

Disaster Information and updates on road conditions, weather warnings, flood cameras, emergency bulletins, and power outages can be found on the Douglas Dashboard.