Three weeks after heavy rainfall in the region allowed Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council to slightly relax water restrictions in Braidwood from level 4 to level 3, Council has today announced that formal restrictions will be fully lifted from Friday 6 March 2020.
Rain in early February saw the Shoalhaven River begin flowing again after an extended dry spell caused it to dwindle to just a few remaining ponds and pools. The river is the primary source of water for Braidwood.
Mayor of Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council, Cr Tim Overall said that although formal restrictions were being lifted, residents still needed to be mindful of their water use and comply with permanent water conservation measures.
"The drought across many areas of Australia is far from broken. But since the rain in our region in early February, the Shoalhaven River has shown strong baseline flow levels that have allowed us to bring Braidwood's off-river storage dam back up to 100% capacity," Mayor Overall said.
The lifting of formal water restrictions in Braidwood does not mean that all restrictions have been removed. Permanent water conservation measures limit water usage and are a form of restrictions that remind people not to be wasteful.
"Getting through the recent application of water restrictions is a timely reminder of how much water can be saved with a little effort and ingenuity like buckets in the shower or reusing cooking water in the garden patch. Residents don't need Council to apply restrictions to continue their water saving efforts," said the Mayor.
Permanent water conservation measures allow the use of sprinklers and other irrigation systems to water lawns and plants but restricts their use to between 6pm and 9am only. Hoses with trigger nozzles, buckets and high-pressure low-volume cleaners can be used when cleaning pavers, cars and homes.
Water restrictions in Bungendore will remain at Level 1 for the time being, but Council is confident they will be able to be lifted after a review in mid-March.
