David Gardiner

Journalist

A long dry spell has prompted Douglas Shire Council to sanction water restrictions as of yesterday Monday, November 21. 

Douglas will be on Level One Water Restrictions until further notice, meaning residents can only use sprinklers and irrigation systems to water the garden overnight – on no more than three days of the week.

The dry conditions have caused a drop in water levels at intakes across the Shire, and Council is encouraging the community to be ‘water wise’ in the home and backyard to help steady creek levels until rainfall arrives.

Further to the dry conditions, the Bureau of Meteorology has forecast heatwave conditions in the region until at least Wednesday this week.

The Rex Creek Intake, which supplies water to Mossman and Port Douglas, has dipped below 320mm.
Douglas Shire Mayor Cr Michael Kerr said changing the way you water your garden can make a real difference to demand.

“If we all water our gardens early in the morning or later in the evening on our designated day, we can reduce the pressure on our water supply while its dry,” Cr Kerr said.

“We are in a La Nina weather pattern, which means we are expecting lots of rain before Christmas, however until then we need to always be mindful of conserving our precious water.”

“Water restrictions are put in place to effectively manage water supplies during drier periods and help us comply with our water licence.”

Council holds a water licence to take water from Rex Creek. This water licence is subject to flow-related conditions that limit the maximum daily rate of ‘take’ based on the streamflow.

As the creek flow declines, so does Council’s ability to draw enough water to satisfy demand.
These licence conditions ensure that there are adequate environmental flows in Rex Creek throughout the year.

Douglas Shire Level One Water Restrictions:

While Level One water restrictions allow the use of sprinklers and irrigation systems, they must only be used on alternate days, between 6pm and 8am for a maximum of four hours.

• EVEN-numbered houses or no prescribed street number: Wed, Fri, Sun
• ODD-numbered houses: Tue, Thu, Sat
• Irrigation systems are not permitted on Mondays.

For more information: https://douglas.qld.gov.au/water-wastewater/check-current-water-restrictions