Tougher water restrictions will come into force across Greater Sydney next month as drought conditions put increasing pressure on the region’s water supply.
Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Illawarra will move to Level 2 water restrictions from 10 December.
This means residents are required to use a bucket or watering can to water gardens, wash cars with a bucket or at a commercial car wash, and top up pools and spas using a trigger nozzle for a maximum of 15 minutes a day.
More than 85% of Greater Sydney’s water is supplied by captured rainfall, but the drought has seen storages reach their lowest levels since the Millennium drought.
Total dam levels across Greater Sydney were today on 46.1%.
“Usually, we would expect to have Level 2 water restrictions come into effect when dam levels reached 40%,” NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said while announcing the increased restrictions.
“But given the rapid rate of decline of our dam levels we have decided to enact the next level of restrictions sooner than planned.”
Berejiklian said the government expects introducing the restrictions to save 78.5 GL of water per year.
With the Bureau of Meteorology predicting another hot summer ahead with ongoing dry conditions, Minister for Water Melinda Pavey said it was important to act now.
“We’re doing the work to save as much drinking water as we can to ensure there is enough if the drought persists,” Pavey said.
For up-to-date information on Level 2 restrictions visit lovewater.sydney/restrictions.
by Water Source
