Water Restrictions

Moderate (Level 2)

Using a bucket or watering can is permitted at any time.

Level 2 Water Restrictions Flyer

Council’s drought resilience policy has trigger points for all water restriction levels including level 3 (high) and level 4 (severe).

Click here to view the Drought Resilience Policy

Level 3 - High Water Restriction significantly reduces the use of Potable Water outdoors, whilst still enabling:

• essential watering of plants;
• maintenance of high-profile community facilities;
• maintenance of water sensitive sporting venues;
• essential maintenance of pools and ponds;
• cleaning for the purposes of health and safety or biosecurity;
• building and essential civil construction activities; and
• activities required to maintain water reliant businesses.

Level 4 – Severe Water Restrictions limits the use of all Potable Water outdoors, enabling only:

• essential maintenance of pools;
• cleaning for the purposes of health and safety or biosecurity;
• building activities; and
• other essential activities as approved by Council.

Why do we need water restrictions? 

Like all Councils and water utilities across Australia, we use water restrictions to manage the available water during dry periods. 

Our available water relies on rainfall and we expect to experience water restrictions from time to time during drought conditions. September 2023 was the driest September on record for Australia (http://www.bom.gov.au/clim_data/IDCKGC1AR0/202309.summary.shtml).

Since 2005, level two water restrictions have been introduced on the Fraser Coast seven times – about once every two to three years. Over that time, level two water restrictions have been in effect for varying durations of less than a month to more than six months.

Level three water restrictions have been needed only twice before - in 2007 for five months and in 2021 for eight days.

To ensure the balance between always having water available and the cost to provide water to the community, water restrictions are a widely used method of managing the available water.

Are we in danger of running out of water soon?

Based on current water usage and the worst-case scenario of no rainfall at all, we still have almost two and a half years of supply for the Fraser Coast.

Historically, enough rain has fallen even in the driest consecutive years to fill Lake Lenthall and Teddington Weir.

Modelling done for water security studies indicate there is a 0.1 per cent and zero per cent chance of exhausting all stored water within any given year based on current water usage for Hervey Bay and Maryborough.

Having water restrictions helps conserve our water supplies and reduce water demand when we are not getting enough rain.

How are we making sure we have enough water for the future?

Council recognises that water is our most valuable resource, and in early 2022 endorsed the ‘Fraser Coast Water Supply Security Strategy – Planning Report’ as the guiding document for future investment in the regional water network.

The report found that a water grid, combined with the continued use of moderate water restrictions and the development of a water demand management strategy, would ensure a secure, reliable and affordable water future for the Fraser Coast.

A concept design and preferred route for a water grid – a pipeline connecting the Hervey Bay and Maryborough water supply schemes - is expected to be completed by the end of 2023. 

By connecting our two service areas into a single network, water can be pumped both to and from Maryborough and Hervey Bay.

It will mean we will have a more resilient and efficient water supply network, as it would mean more use of the region’s water collection, treatment and storage assets.

Work is also underway on a water demand management strategy to consider how water can be used more efficiently.

It is all about balancing demand and costs to ensure we have a safe, reliable and secure water supply for all residents of the Fraser Coast now and into the future.

The Fraser Coast Water Supply Security Strategy and other Council water strategies are available at https://www.frasercoast.qld.gov.au/securing-water-future

Why is Council approving more development when we’re on water restrictions?

The Fraser Coast uses less than half (46%) of its licensed water allocation, so there’s plenty of capacity for population growth.

The reality is more and more people are realising the Fraser Coast is a fantastic place to live, work and play, offering an affordable and relaxed lifestyle in a beautiful natural environment.

Our available raw water supplies rely on rainfall, so we expect to experience water restrictions during dry times.

It's a bit like budgeting in your household and managing your cash flow. If you’re not getting as much income, you cut back on your day-to-day expenses to stretch your budget further rather than dip into your savings.

When we’re not getting as much rain, we use higher water restrictions to conserve supplies rather than draw down raw water storage levels too low.

Historically, enough rain has fallen even in the driest consecutive years to fill Lake Lenthall and Teddington Weir. So having water restrictions helps conserve our water supplies and reduce water demand when we are not getting enough rain.

Why don’t we mandate rainwater tanks for all the new houses being built?

Council considered a report in 2020 about the mandatory installation of rainwater tanks in new buildings and resolved that the costs outweighed the benefits.

That report found the cost of water supplied by a 5000-litre rainwater tank that meets development code requirements is 70 per cent higher than water supplied through the reticulation system.

It also found that if the 2700 new houses built here between 2014 to 2019 were required to install a 5000-litre rainwater tank, it would have only extended Lake Lenthall’s water supply by less than two weeks a year while the cost to the community would have been $13.5 million.

What is water security?

Water security is the balance between having water available at all times and the cost to provide water to the community. Water restrictions are a widely used method of managing the available water.

The Fraser Coast Water Supply Security Strategy and other Council water strategies are available at https://www.frasercoast.qld.gov.au/securing-water-future

Where does our water come from?

The Fraser Coast has a secure and reliable water supply sourced from the Burrum River, Tinana Creek and the Mary River.

Hervey Bay’s primary water storage is Lake Lenthall, along with the Burrum Weirs. To accommodate future population growth, Lake Lenthall was raised by two metres in 2007, which increased its storage capacity by 60 per cent.

Maryborough’s primary water storage is Teddington Weir, while additional water can be sourced from the Mary River via the Owanyilla Diversion Channel.

How much water do we use?

The amount of water used varies. For Hervey Bay, it can be around 20 to 30 megalitres a day and in Maryborough, it can be around 6 to 10 megalitres a day.

Visit https://www.frasercoast.qld.gov.au/wide-bay-water for our daily water use figures and water storage levels. 

The water supply security strategy developed for Council found that Fraser Coast residential water consumption is about 240 litres per person per day on average, compared with about 156 litres per person per day in south-east Queensland.

What water sources do water restrictions apply to?

Fraser Coast Regional Council water restrictions apply to the outdoor use of potable water by residents, businesses, community groups, not-for-profits, and Council.

“Potable water” means drinking water supplied from Council’s Water Supply System, including water supplied through the Monica Water Fill Stations or hydrant standpipes.

Restrictions also apply to consumers and transporters of potable water. Rainwater tanks, dams and swimming pools that store or are topped up with Potable Water, are also within the scope of water restrictions.

Fraser Coast Regional Council water restrictions do not apply to use of:

a. water drawn from a source not under the control of Council;

b. reclaimed or recycled water;

c.  private bores;

d. collected rainwater stored in a rainwater tank, dam, swimming pool or other outside receptacle (that is not topped up with Potable Water);

e. water supplied from another service provider; or

f. water used for internal domestic purposes.  

When will Council declare a change in level of water restriction?

The Fraser Coast’s drinking water supply currently relies on rainfall and may be impacted by drought. To conserve drinking water during drought and periods of low rainfall, Council may declare a Drought Resilience/Water Restriction Level to ensure ongoing security of supply.

As required, the CEO or Director Water and Waste Services will approve the declaration and the Drought Resilience/Restriction Level.

The Drought Resilience/Restriction Levels increase in severity as they increase in level and are detailed in the Drought Resilience Council Policy.

What happens to people who don’t comply with water restrictions?

Council has a range of options available to encourage and ensure compliance with Water Control Measures, including:

• educating and engaging with customers on the justification and requirements of the measures;
• street patrols and visits to properties to remind customers of the measures and demonstrate that compliance is being monitored;
• advocating and empowering the public to report misuse of Potable Water and to keep each other honest; and
• real-time analysis of water usage data, focusing on customers with high Potable Water use.

To promote consistency and fairness when responding to and investigating allegations of breaches of Water Control Measures, an authorised person will follow Council’s Enforcement Manual before undertaking any enforcement actions that are considered appropriate.

Council has a range of options for enforcement action if a customer does not comply with Water Control Measures, including:

• issuing a warning or written notice that the customer is not complying with a measure and advising of processes and penalties that may follow if non-compliance continues;
• issuing a fine via a Penalty Infringement Notice (PIN) by an authorised person, either on-the-spot, or sent by email or post;
• reducing the water supply to a premises to the minimum level necessary for the health and sanitation purposes of occupants (refer section 169 of the Act); and
• court action in response to continued and ongoing non-compliance.

Can I get an exemption from water restrictions?

The Water Supply (Safety and Reliability) Act 2008 (Qld), allows Council to provide an exemption to specific customers from all or part of a Water Control Measure specified for a declared Drought Resilience/Restriction Level.

Should a customer meet the approved criteria and require an exemption, the customer must complete and submit an application via the approved form https://www.frasercoast.qld.gov.au/downloads/file/928/water-restriction-exemption.

Applications for exemptions will only be considered where reasonable grounds for such exemption have been presented and must include one of the following:

• core business activities are water related (for businesses only); or
• water is required for health and safety; or
• water is required for biosecurity reasons; or
• health or physical ability.

In addition to one of the above, all the following criteria must also be achieved for an application for an exemption to be approved:

• have installed or implemented all reasonable water saving initiatives; and    
• there are no feasible alternatives to the required water use (including waterless alternatives).

What is the difference between new and established gardens or lawn/turf?

“Established garden” means an area of soil (example; plot of ground, plant pot) where flowers, shrubs, vegetables, fruits, or herbs have been planted for 14 or more days. 

“Established turf or lawn” means an area of ground covered in grass which has been planted or laid for 14 or more days.

“New garden” means an area of soil (example; plot of ground, plant pot) where flowers, shrubs, vegetables, fruits, or herbs have been planted for 13 or less days.  Receipts or other evidence MUST be retained as proof of new planting for presentation upon request by Council.

“New turf or lawn” means an area of ground covered in grass which has been planted or laid for 13 or less days. Receipts or other evidence MUST be retained as proof of new planting for presentation upon request by Council.

Will Council parks, gardens and sporting fields continue to be watered under level two restrictions?

Council works hard to limit our water use while still ensuring we properly maintain our parks, gardens, and sporting and recreation facilities.

We recognise that there are significant economic, social and environmental benefits to maintaining high profile, high usage parks and local environmentally significant facilities.

As such, Council will use controlled water efficient irrigation systems with rain sensors for up to 10 minutes per station per day at Council Local Environmentally Significant Facilities, like the Orchid House, Orchid House Nursery, Botanic Gardens Nursery, Community Nursery.

Council will also maximise the use of recycled water where feasible.

If higher water control measures are likely, Council will scale back watering to reduce vegetation dependency on water.

The fields at the Fraser Coast Sports and Recreation Precinct are irrigated with recycled water and the backwash water from the Hervey Bay Aquatic Centre is used to irrigate the football fields in Tavistock Street.

Can water be used on construction sites under Level Two Water Restrictions?

Yes, buckets are permitted at any time while hand-held hoses and high pressure cleaners are permitted under certain conditions.

Hand-held hoses are permitted:

• When connected as part of essential operation of tool or equipment;
• When used as part of an essential process in a construction activity (water curing concrete, mixing mortar, vacuum excavation etc);
• When used to clean tools or equipment, other than plant or vehicles.

High pressure cleaners are permitted when used as part of an essential process in a construction activity.

How many hoses can I use at once during Level Two Water Restrictions?

Hand-held hoses MUST:                                                                                                                               

• be used one at a time (i.e. cannot use multiple hoses within a permitted period)
• be fitted with a working water efficient trigger nozzle (maximum flow rate of 9L/min)
• not be left unattended or be controlled by an operational timer (electric or manual)
• be used in a way to ensure there is no wastage of water, visible ponding or excessive runoff leading to the wastage of water.                                                                                                                           

• Established garden means an area of soil (example; plot of ground, plant pot) where flowers, shrubs, vegetables, fruits, or herbs have been planted for 14 or more days. 
   
• Established turf or lawn means an area of ground covered in grass which has been planted or laid for 14 or more days.
   
• New garden means an area of soil (example; plot of ground, plant pot) where flowers, shrubs, vegetables, fruits, or herbs have been planted for 13 or less days. 
   
• New turf or lawn means an area of ground covered in grass which has been planted or laid for 13 or less days.
   
• Irrigation system means distributing water to a specific area by a manual or automatic emitter as a single or network, other than a handheld hose, that is temporary or permanent, and connected to a hose or pipe. Types of irrigation devices include sprinkler, soaker hose, weeper hose, drip/dripline, microspray and misting emitters. 
   
• Market garden or plant nursery means land used primarily for the growing of plants including produce and turf for sale or distribution for profit, and includes orchards, nurseries, commercial flower gardens, turf farms.
   
• Council Local Environmentally Significant Facilities means Council’s Orchid House, Orchid House Nursery and Botanic Gardens Nursery.
   
• Water play tools and toys means any entertainment toy, facility or structure, which is operated by or uses non-recirculating running water from a hose or pipe as part of its use.
   
• Portable wading pool means any demountable, temporary and transportable pool having a capacity less than or equal to 500 litres.
   
• Standpipe means a rigid pipe or hose designed to be connected to a fire hydrant on a water main to gain access to bulk water.