Although we are not currently under any water restrictions, permanent water conservation measures are in place in Queanbeyan, Jerrabomberra and Googong where water is supplied by ICON Water. Conservation measures may be applied to Braidwood, Bungendore and Captains Flat if drought conditions were declared.
Reducing your water usage lowers your water and power bills, while also being good for the environment! It keeps rivers flowing and healthy – good for our native flora and fauna, and good for the estuaries and oceans fed by our rivers. It reduces the electricity demands of capturing, treating, and pumping the water to our homes, and the energy you use to heat and use the water – lowering emissions and your electricity bill.
Do you know how much water you use? Try The Water Conservancy’s water use calculator and find out where you can save water.
The House
There’s a lot of ways you can save water around your home – helping the environment and saving you money!
In your bathroom
The bathroom is full of easy opportunities to save a lot of water. Check out these videos (https://smartwateradvice.org/videos/) to learn how to:
- Stop any leaks and make your plumbing more efficient.
- Fix a leaking tap: a leaking tap can waste 12,000 litres of water a year, but it’s cheap and simple to fix!
- Check your toilet for leaks: a leaking toilet can waste 100,000 litres of water every year and you might not even know it’s leaking! Luckily, it’s easy to test if you’ve got a leak.
- Install a flow controller on your bathroom taps. A bathroom tap can use about 16 litres of water a minute. That’s a lot of water being wasted while you’re washing your hands. A flow controller can reduce water flow by more than 50% without reducing your water pressure.
- Install a water efficient showerhead – this can save a family of four up to 35,000 litres per year. It also cuts your hot water bill!
If you’re doing renovations, consider installing a dual-flush toilet to save even more water. You should also make sure your pipes are well-insulated to reduce your water-heating bill.
In the laundry
The laundry can use up to 20% of your household water, but you can cut back to save water, electricity, and money!
- Make sure your hot water system isn’t set too high – about 60°C is optimal. Using cold water to cool down water that is too hot wastes both water and electricity.
- Check your taps and fix any leaks.
- Consider purchasing a 5- or 6-star washing machine to save a lot of water. A front-loading machine is the most efficient and will save you the most money.
In the kitchen
10% of household water is used for cooking, cleaning, dishwashing, and drinking. Check out what you can do to save water in the kitchen. (link) https://smartwateradvice.org/how-to-save-water/home/kitchen/
The Garden
Your garden can use a lot of your household water – sometimes more than half of the water you use! Here’s a few simple steps you can take to use less water in the garden.
Step one: mulch your garden beds! Mulch keeps your soil cool and protects your plants from extreme heat during the summer. It can also suppress weeds, adds nutrients into your soil, and reduce soil evaporation by up to 70%. This means you don’t need to water your plants as often. You don’t need to use expensive mulch – any mulch is better than no mulch.
Step two: water smart! During the warmer months, you should only water your garden between 6pm and 9am to avoid the hottest part of the day. This gives the water enough time to soak into the ground and get to the roots of the plant. Use a trigger nozzle hose so you don’t waste water as you walk to different plants.
Be careful not to water too frequently by checking if your plants need more water – push the mulch aside and put your finger into the soil. If it is moist below the surface, you don’t need to water. Many plants prefer less frequent watering - this helps roots to grow further down to find water, making plants less reliant on watering and more able to cope with hot, dry days.
Step 3: choose the right plants! Using Water Conservancy’s Plant Finder link: (https://www.smartwatermark.org/smartwateradvice/plant-finder/) you can find the best plants for your water efficient garden. With hundreds of plants to choose from, you’re sure to find the right one for your space.
Find more water saving tips for your garden here(PDF, 400KB)
Council incentives
We offer the following incentives for local residents who are connected to the Queanbeyan-Palerang water supply.
- Free home audit carried out by a licensed plumber
- Subsidised dual flush toilets for eligible residences (following the home audit)
- Subsidies for retrofitted rainwater tanks to existing residences
- Subsidies for rainwater tanks to eligible new residences
For more information please visit: https://www.qprc.nsw.gov.au/Services/Water/Water-and-Sewer#section-11
Braidwood, Bungendore, Captains Flat and Queanbeyan (including Googong and Jerrabomberra) all get their water from different sources.
In Braidwood the water comes from the Shoalhaven River where we have a licence to extract raw water that is then treated and supplied to the community.
Bungendore's water comes from bores.
Captains Flat has its own dam which retains good capacity for the town needs.
Queanbeyan gets water from Icon Water in the ACT who own and operate four dams in the region (Googong, Cotter, Corin and Bendora dams). Icon Water will determine if/when Queanbeyan moves to water restrictions. A move to water restrictions in Queanbeyan is not Council's decision to make. The areas supplied by Icon are under permanent water conservation measures.
Further information about the water situation in Canberra/Queanbeyan is available at: www.iconwater.com.au
If the Local Government Area is declared drought affected water conservation measures may be implemented in Braidwood, Bungendore and Captains Flat.
Download the water conservation measures flyer(PDF, 511KB)
Private gardens and lawns, commercial nurseries, market gardens and turf-growing businesses
- Sprinkler and other irrigation systems can be used to water lawns and plants only between 6pm and 9am on any day from 1 September to 31 May (inclusive).
- A hand-held hose fitted with a trigger nozzle, a bucket or a watering can may be used at any time.
- At all times, gardens and lawns may only be watered without causing pooling or runoff.
Lawns and plants at parks, sports amenities, golf courses and public gardens
- Sprinkler and other irrigation systems can be used to water lawns and plants only between 6pm and 9am on any day from 1 September to 31 May (inclusive).
- A hand-held hose fitted with a trigger nozzle, a bucket or a watering can may be used at any time.
- At all times, gardens and lawns may only be watered without causing pooling or runoff.
Paved areas
- A bucket and mop or high-pressure, low-volume cleaner can be used to clean paved areas at any time.
- Otherwise, water must not be used to clean paved areas unless cleaning is necessary as a result of accident, fire, health hazard or other emergency.
Vehicles
If not washed at a commercial car wash, any vehicle should be washed on a lawn or other porous surface wherever practicable and then may only be washed by using:
- a bucket or watering can
- a high-pressure, low-volume cleaner or
- a hand-held hose fitted with a trigger nozzle.
- boat motors may be flushed or rinsed after use.
Windows and Buildings
Windows may be washed or gutters may be cleaned at any time. Other parts of a building may be washed at any time by using a bucket and mop/brush or a high-pressure, low-volume cleaner, unless cleaning is necessary as result of accident, fire, health hazard or other emergency.
Construction and related activities
- Water can only be used for dust or other pollutant suppression by means of a hose fitted with a flow cut-off device or a vehicle fitted with sprinklers. Unless impractical, water may only be used by means of a hose fitted with a flow cut-off device.
- Wherever practicable, non-potable water should be used.
There are mandatory water conservation measures in place for Queanbeyan and Googong.
Private gardens and lawns not elsewhere included
- Sprinkler and other irrigation systems can be used to water lawns and plants only between 6pm and 9am on any day from 1 September to 31 May (inclusive).
- A hand-held hose fitted with a trigger nozzle, a bucket or a watering can may be used at any time.
- At all times, gardens and lawns may only be watered without causing pooling or runoff.
Paved areas
- A bucket and mop or high-pressure, low-volume cleaner can be used to clean paved areas at any time.
- Otherwise, water must not be used to clean paved areas unless cleaning is necessary as a result of accident, fire, health hazard or other emergency.
- In these circumstances the most water-efficient method of cleaning reasonable available should be adopted.
*All applicable laws must be complied with when discharging substances into the stormwater system.
Vehicles
If not washed at a commercial car wash, any vehicle should be washed on a lawn or other porous surface wherever practicable and then may only be washed by using:
- a bucket or watering can.
- a high-pressure, low-volume cleaner.
- a hand-held hose fitted with a trigger nozzle.
- boat motors may be flushed or rinsed after use.
Windows, buildings and building gutters
- Building gutters may be cleaned at any time by any means.
- Windows and other external parts of buildings may be washed at any time, but only by using a bucket and mop/brush or a high-pressure, low-volume cleaner.
- Otherwise, water must not be used to wash building exteriors unless cleaning is necessary as a result of accident, fire, health hazard or other emergency. In these circumstances the most water-efficient method of cleaning reasonably available should be adopted.
*All applicable laws must be complied with when discharging substances into the stormwater system.
Private ponds and fountains
Emptying and refilling existing pools and filling new pools and spas
Pools and spas with a capacity of 3,000 litres or more must not be either emptied, refilled, or filled for the first time, unless:
- the occupier of the premises has lodged a water offset plan with Icon Water;
- Icon Water has approved the water offset plan;
- the occupier of the premises complies with the approved water offset plan; and
- the pool or spa is fitting with a cover (that covers at least 80 percent of the surface area of the water) when the pool or spa is not in use.
Pools and spas with a capacity less than 3,000 litres may only be refilled, or filled for the first time, using a hand-held hose fitted a trigger nozzle, a bucket or a watering can.
Topping up pools and spas
Pools and spas with a capacity of 3,000 or litres of more may only be topped up using a bucket, a watering can or a hand-held hose fitted with a trigger nozzle and only if:
- the owner or occupier of the premises has registered with Icon Water;
- the topping up is done before 9am or after 6pm on any day; and
- the pool or spa is fitting with a cover (that covers at least 80% of the
- surface area of the water) when the pool or spa is not in use.
Pools and spas with a capacity less than 3,000 litres may only be topped up using a hand-held hose fitted with a trigger nozzle, a bucket or watering can.
Water Storage tanks, dams and lakes
Unless the property, at which a water storage facility is located, is not connected to Icon Water's potable water supply system, a water storage tank, dam or lake may only be filled or topped up if:
- the owner or occupier of the premises has lodged an exemption application with Icon Water;
- Icon Water has granted the exemption; and
- water is used in accordance with the exemption.
Construction and related activities
Wherever practicable, non-potable water should be used. In green fields sites, water can be used for dust or pollutant suppression or earth compaction only:
- by means of a hose fitted with a flow cut-off device or a vehicle fitted with sprinklers;
- if the occupier of the premises has lodged an exemption application with Icon Water;
- if Icon Water has granted the exemption; and if water is used in accordance with the exemption.
In all other cases, water may be used for building and construction activities only where alternative water sources are not reasonable available or suitable (provided that water may not be used at any time to generate an exposed aggregate finish). Unless impractical, such water may only be used by means of a hose fitted with a flow cut-off device.
As our Local Government Area is no longer in drought, all drought taps have been disconnected and free water is no longer provided.
The situation will be reviewed when the area returns to drought.
Residents and ratepayers seeking access to potable water should contact a water carter to arrange delivery at their cost. To protect their health, purchasers are encouraged to confirm that the water carter complies with the NSW Health Water Carters Guidelines.