r1c1

Hi.

I was reading reports today that Melbourne is now on 3a water restrictions and Brisbane is stage 6.

Is the whole of Oz on restrictions and how bad is it? I live in Scotland and we take water for granted.

the plumber

Can't speak for melbourne......don't live there.

But yes QLD is on level 6, which means each member of the household has to try and keep to using around 140 LTR per day.
You can not use outside hoses.... eg. to water garden, wash car etc and if the annual consumption is the same as the last 5 yrs , then the dam that feeds Brisbane will be at a critical level of 8%. in saying all that though ,there is a de,sal plant coming on line at early 2010.

all the best plumb.....

the plumber

People will get pissed off for keep saying this but..... drive 10mins south of the border like me and there is plenty of water ......no restictions.....

I live in kingscliff and work on the Goldcoast .....best of both worlds....

The Bloke

This is not necessarily true in all cases. Different towns/cities/shires etc, can actually be on different levels of restrictions, with totally different rules for those restrictions. For example, Brisbane is on level 6 and when I recently drove through Wondai Shire - 225kms away - they were on level 5. When Brisbane was on level 5, you could not use hoses on garden even if you had a tank, but in Wondai you can. Nanango Shire was only on level 4, and at one stage had level 2.5 on the noticeboards displayed at the town boundaries.
There is no set rule really for SE Qld, regardless what SEQ Water and the boss, Mrs Nosworthy have to say.
I would be very interested to here how they arrive at the water storage figures that are published?

Last I heard they was now only going to be two mobile desalination barges on the Brisbane River, which was annouced yesterday by the Minister, and as far as I know, the fixed one on dry land has been shelved because nobody wants it in their area.

Jan4kids

The threat of no water is quite a worry especially as you say you have taken this very precious resource for granted all your life.

After a while saving water becomes second nature, you don't give it much thought.

You'll find yourself installing rain water tanks the size of your old U.K kitchen,turning the tap off whilst brushing your teeth, happy to be having a four minute shower and not disgusted that your kids don't flush after every visit to the loo

It's all part and parcel of the emigrating experience.....bloody expensive stuff too!

Mind you water levels are looking a little better after the long period of rain that we have recently experienced.

Jan

Vim Fuego

No water restrictions here, we are on tank water, don't know why everyone isn't actually, never had to buy-in water and at the moment it's tipping it down (again) and our tank is overflowing.

Time for my monthly bath ...

bcworld

The way restrictions are named varies between the cities, Melbourne's STAGE 3a is almost as restrictive as Brisbane's LEVEL 6 - in fact there were things that people could still do in Brisbane under level 5 that you couldn't do in Melbourne under stage 3.

That being said of the major cities Brisbane's situation is definitely the most precarious, although as other's have said recent rain has helped alleviate the situation a bit. However, from what the government has said the water restictions are now pretty much permanent in some form, irrespective of whether the dams suddenly end up at 100% again.

pominNoosa

Level 2 round Noosa, although not sure why. Think some politician described Noosa residents as un Australian for their reckless use of water even though we have more warda than you can shake a stick at. We're on rainwater tanks (halves the rates bill) and they're overflowing.There's been major flooding in this region twice since we moved here in May.

Thunderstorm now on its way so I'm throwing caution to wind and going off to have a five minute shower. ooOOoo.

Centurion

Bayside Brisbane (redlandshire) is actually not on 6 but level 2. We draw our water from the Leslie Harrison dam and Straddie Island.

But generally - yes water is not in abundance and if your outside watering your lawn even if you are allowed to do it expect filthy looks. The culture of not wasting water is a good one.

muffinoz

As Centurion says Redlands which is about 30k to Brissie CBD and covers Bayside from Vic Point, Cleveland up to Thorneside and into Capalaba ) is on level 2 and will move onto level 3 when the local dam reaches 55% as of last week it was about 58% ... however as it's pissed down here on and off (currently just finished being on!) for the best part of the last 3 weeks you would think that the dam levels would be rising ... it's something to do with the ground needing to be saturated first before you get run off into the dams ... alternatively the dams were constructed the wrong place!

Level 2 means you are restricted to using water for things like watering your garden / filling your pool to certain times of the day / week .. I think Level 3 will mean that you can't fill your pool unless you have water efficient devices installed in your mansion (eg shower heads, dual flush loos, pool cover etc) ... contrary to what you may read we do have inside dunnies here ... it was a bit of a bugger getting it thru the front door though

Alternatively as I've done get a water tank and a $1000 rebate from the State Govt ... and you can do what you want with it ... I think ...

Cheers David

the plumber

second bit of advice i'd give and that is when you get a water tank fit the biggest one you can.
tank water doesn't go as far as you think.... soon get through a 1000ltrs watering garden.
I was fixing a pool the other day at a house that was being renovated ,he had installed a 10,000ltr tank undergound ,great idea under the patio area .
When we get rain here... it normally comes down pretty heavy ,then nothing for a week or two,so you want to catch and store as much as possible.....

all the best plumb....

rabsody

We want to get a tank installed ASAP, possibly an underground one - 5000lt. Does anyone have any recommendations for a company they've used for their tanks? We're in Brisbane South West (Kenmore). Thanks

sorry OP for hijacking!

datamile

I've ordered one from qtank. They are a manufacturer in brissy. New but member of trade orgs etc, and you pay on delivery

http://www.qtank.com.au/

Its not turned up yet, but they were cheaper than most, and offered the 5000L squat tank that I need,

You need to order before 31-jan, and install by 1 apr I think to qualify for the $1000 state rebate, otherwise its a $1500 rebate but you have to have it plumbed in. Some local councils will offer additional grants. Free tank in effect by you need to by the pump ( 200-500 ).

Check the local planning requirements. Redlands reduced theirs to not required for 5000L and under

moneypenny20

Desalination Plant in Tugun steaming ahead and should be up and running by the end of the year (I think).

You very quickly get used to being sensible with water. We thought 140ltrs per person per day to be a nightmare until we actually worked out what we used before. Very easily achievable even with three females with long hair (tiddler thinks 4 minutes lasts 20 but that's another matter). We've put in a huge tank and since August have not had town water - it tastes and feels fab too.

Only put native plants in your garden and you'll never have to water - major wastage in my view.

Wol

It's interesting how the brainwashing's been taken in, hook line and sinker, for the past 30 years.

Sydney has almost twice the annual rainfall of London, for example. The population is - what? a quarter, a fifth of London?

The problem is not lack of water - it's lack of storage capacity. They've not anything like kept up with the growth of population since the last dams were built and now, of course, blame the householders for running the dams down.