Water supply has been a hot topic in the Douglas Shire over the last few years with ever-increasing water restrictions being applied during the dryer months of the year.

After a particularly dry year, water restrictions came in earlier this year than last causing concern to those whose businesses rely heavily on water such as landscapers, farmers, resorts, and landowners.

The Douglas Shire is in a unique situation as it has no dams for water storage so freshwater is supplied by our flowing creeks, with many of the extraction points in pristine rainforest and relatively untouched by human activity.

According to Council, once extracted, raw water is treated at Council’s treatment plants and travels through the reticulation network to homes or is stored in treated water reservoirs throughout the region.

The volume of water that can be extracted from the creek is restricted by a licence and reduces relative to the creek depth to ensure healthy waterways are maintained.

So, when the creek water levels are low, less water can be extracted, hence the supply is vulnerable to climatic conditions in the dry season.

For local landscaper business owners, John Sullivan from Hortulus Landscapes and Pete Murphy from Papillon Landscapes, water restrictions have a huge impact on how they operate their businesses, particularly last year when level three restrictions were enforced.

Mr Sullivan said they are concerned because not having a secure water supply affects the viability of not just his business but every business that uses water.

“It's about securing everybody's future not just landscapers or gardeners; It affects everybody, it's the tourism industry, and it’s people's livelihoods,” he said.

“Everyone wants the town to be green when the tourists are in town.

“We want to know if in five years our businesses will be viable.”

Douglas Shire Mayor Michael Kerr said Council has been engaging with these concerned landscape groups, body corporates, and resorts to continue the conversation around water security.

“Issues discussed include rainfall and water consumption trends, as well as water infrastructure plans,” he said.

“Feedback was also sought about how to improve the understanding of consumer requirements and measures already in place.”

Mayor Kerr said a lot of work is being done to improve the Shire’s water.

“In the 2020/21 Annual Budget, Council invested $3.34 million into improving water quality and reticulation across Douglas Shire.

“Key projects include rolling out a smart water meter program to quickly identify leaks, water network service renewal and water main renewals.

“Council has completed a design for a new water extraction point near Mossman and is currently seeking approvals from the State Government to progress the project.

“Staff are also progressing a feasibility study into a larger, longer-term raw water storage site of at least 1GL.”

Mr Sullivan said they were happy to be working with Council and were glad to see work being done in this area.

“They (Council) have been very proactive and listening to what we had to say which is really helping the situation.

“They are looking to the future and looking at getting infrastructure that will start to work for Douglas finally.”

Mr Sullivan said he and fellow landscapers work hard to be as water-wise as possible in their profession, following the best practices, from measured irrigation systems, watering at the best time of day, to using the right type of soil and mulches so the water soaks in.

“There are lots of actions that landscapers take to be water-wise, not just during restriction times.

“Nobody wants to be spending lots of money on water.

“It is everybody’s responsibility to conserve water because everyone is affected,” he said.

Mr Murphy added there are a lot of ways everyone can conserve water by not just adhering to water restrictions outside in the garden but also practising water conservation inside the house.

“We have all got to look at other ways that we can save water.

“There are so many ways to do this, it’s taking those three minutes showers, or loading the dishwasher and washing machine properly, turning the tap off when you're brushing your teeth or shaving. It’s the little things that can make a huge difference.

“The weather is changing every year and we don't know what's going to happen next, so we need to act, and we can’t forget about the issues we have here,” he said.