Effective tomorrow, Wednesday January 8, Douglas Shire Council has downgraded water restrictions to Level 1.

This decision has been assisted by midnight thunder storms and solid rainfall which have reduced pressure on water levels.

Intake levels at Rex Creek rose to 550mm over the weekend, before settling at a more conservative 250mm on Tuesday morning.

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

While the latest climate outlook from the Bureau of Meteorology continues to predict a dry January for Northern Queensland, recent tropical rainfalls have assisted in topping up levels.

Douglas Shire Mayor Julia Leu said that Council will continue to monitor the Shire’s water resources and commended the community’s restraint in its water usage.

“Council is encouraged by the support of the community in significantly reducing their consumption since Level 3 water restrictions were imposed in November,” she said.

“We’d like to thank everyone for working so hard to tighten their taps and be water wise during an unusually dry period.

“With extreme weather events playing out all over the country, it’s clear that water really is one of our most valuable resources.”

While Level 1 water restrictions allow the use of sprinklers and irrigation systems, they must only be used between 6am to 8am and 6pm and 8pm on alternate days.

EVEN-numbered houses or not prescribed street number: Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
ODD-numbered houses: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Irrigation systems are NOT permitted on Mondays.

Previous exemptions are now invalid, unless otherwise communicated by Council.

To learn more, visit Douglas Shire Council.