Flows in the Deua and Tuross Rivers – from which Council sources Eurobodalla’s water supply - have all but ceased, prohibiting Council from extracting water. The Eurobodalla community is now relying solely on the water storage at Deep Creek Dam, which has fallen to less than 80 per cent capacity.

Council’s Infrastructure Services Director Warren Sharpe said it was important to preserve Eurobodalla’s water, particularly heading into the warmer months.

“While the rain over the past week has been great for the garden, it has done little to improve river flows or water stores in Deep Creek Dam,” he said.

“Without significant rainfall our water storage will continue to fall by about one to two per cent per week. As a community we need to take action now to ensure our supply meets essential needs into the future.

“Summer is Eurobodalla’s highest-use period so we’re urging residents and visitors to carefully consider how and when they use water and help us preserve our most precious resource.

“If we don’t get significant rainfall that improves river flows by the end of November, it’s likely we will move into level 2 water restrictions in early December.

“We want to make sure people have sufficient notice prior to water restrictions coming into force, however this is not a signal for residents to use water unwisely in the lead up.”

Mr Sharpe appreciated that many people in the community were already very cautious with their water use.

“Rest assured we’ll also be letting visitors know we’re in water restrictions by working with our tourism industry, particularly accommodation providers, and providing information at popular tourist destinations,” he said.

The key change for residents under level 1 water restrictions is a ban on all garden sprinklers and a ban on washing down hard surfaces. Gardens can only be watered via one hand-held hose in the evening and early morning to reduce water loss through evaporation.

Residents and visitors can only wash their car or boat on grass areas using buckets and a final rinse with a trigger-nozzle hose. Pools and spas can be topped up with a hand-held hose between 5pm and 10am.

The water restrictions are enforceable and applicable to all shire water users, including residents, visitors and commercial and public services. For the full list of restrictions for residential and commercial water users, visit Council’s website www.esc.nsw.gov.au/water. Alternatively you can find hard copy information in Eurobodalla’s libraries, Council depots and at the customer service centre in Moruya.