Sydney Water restrictions

Sydney November 29th 2019

The continuing drought is having an effect on all Australians. The dry conditions have added bushfires to that list, and the forecast is for a hot summer.

Here in greater Sydney we sometimes forget about our country cousins, the farmers that produce most of our food supplies, and how the lack of rainfall is affecting them. But that is about to change.

Sydney dam levels have dropped below 46% capacity, and with our growing population, we’ve got to slow down on our water usage. Thankfully we have a desalination plant to help out. It may add a nominal charge to our water bills, but I believe that’s a small price to pay.

Sydney Water has announced that from Tuesday, December 10th 2019 greater Sydney will move to Level 2 water restrictions. For householders, it means there will be a few more rules about how and when we can water our gardens, wash our cars and generally use water around our homes.

We can all save water!

Our business has to apply for a water use exemption. The exemption doesn’t mean we can waste water. It means being more thoughtful about how to use it.

Water Saving Tips for your Garden

Did you know about 35% of household water usage occurs in the garden?

In my daily rounds the common theme is how the spring has unfolded, the gardens are in bloom, the Jasmine flowers have come and gone. We’ve had very little rain lately on the coast but, after recent temperatures reaching 36 degrees, our gardens are dry.

It helps if you know the needs of your plants. More plants die from over watering than lack of water so don’t drown ’em.

So here are a few water saving Do’s and Dont’s:
– Do choose water efficient plants and grasses.
– Do mulch your garden.
– Do install a drip feed system to water the gardens and lawns. It’s pretty easy to do. If you need a hand just ask us.
– Don’t water in the heat of the day. Heat = Evaporation and the watering process can burn your lawn and plants. Water early or late. Cool is good!
– Don’t assume the garden needs watering. Check the soil to see whether its dry before turning on that hose.
– Don’t water for long periods if your garden slopes. The water just runs off. Allow it to soak in!
– Don’t water on windy days especially with sprinklers and fine sprays. Wind increases evaporation.
– Don’t water everyday, if its practical give em a drink twice a week to encourage the roots to grow deeper
– Don’t water for 1-2 weeks after a good soaking rain.

– Don’t forget to drink yourself. Personal hydration is even more important!

Water saving tips for Spring

Now we are really into spring and the gardens are blooming, after our long weekend heatwave, the lawn needs to be watered.

A dripping tap can waste up to anywhere between 30 and 200 litres of water a day. That’s over 70,000 litres a year.

So here are a couple of simple water saving tips to get you through spring and the long hot summer ahead.

Ensure all household and garden taps are always turned off tightly so they don’t drip. Don’t force taps as you can damage them and actually cause leaks.

Develop a regular routine of checking all indoor and outdoor taps, washers and pipes for leaks, cracks and breaks.

Check all your household appliances for water leaks. Learn how to repair leaking taps; a new washer is inexpensive and easily available at your local hardware store.

If in doubt call us for some over the phone guidance on  02 9664 4990.