Everyone in the Tweed is asked to save water as new figures show water use has increased in the past 3 weeks to 187 litres per person a day – exceeding Council's target of 160 litres per person a day.
Water and Wastewater Business and Assets acting manager Elizabeth Seidl urged all residents and holidaymakers to save water and get back to using just 160 litres of water per person a day.
"For four months, we were all doing a great job meeting Target 160 but as the weather has warmed, our water use has increased," Ms Seidl said.
"Target 160 is our water use target when there are no water restrictions and it's there for good reason.
"Climate change has made rainfall in our region unpredictable and 15,000 more people will call the Tweed home in the coming decades.
"While the planned upgrade of Clarrie Hall Dam will help secure our water supply, we all share responsibility to save water and the environment.
"Meeting Target 160 is the most cost-effective action we can take as a community."
Council figures show water use in the past 3 weeks was up 15%, or 25 litres on average per person.
"Each of us only needs to save about 30 litres of water per person a day to get back under the 160-litre target," Ms Seidl said.
"That means doing a few little things around the house like taking 4-minute showers, going easy with the hose outside, mulching your garden and avoiding watering the lawn.
"If you have a leaky toilet, showerhead or tap, now is the time to get it fixed. These actions can easily bring our water use back to 160 litres per person a day."
