There are no current water restrictions for the Tweed.
For ways you can save water around your home, see Save Water Indoors or Save Water Outdoors.
Residential water use
Current: 162L
Target: 160L
Litres per person per day
Banned
- Watering lawns
- Water play toys
- Sprinklers/soaker hoses
Limited use
- Boats and trailers used in salt water – Hand-held hose with on/off trigger nozzle, 10 mins only.
- House cleaning - Commercial cleaners only when property is for sale/lease.
- Fishponds/aquariums – Top-up to keep fish alive only.
- Swimming pool top-up – Hand-held hose with on/off trigger nozzle, before 9am or after 4pm only.
- New turf – Hand-held hose with on/off trigger nozzle, before 9am or after 4pm only:
- Up to 1 hour on day of install.
- 60 mins only for next 14 days.
Allowed – every 2nd day odds/evens* before 9am or after 4pm
- Gardens – Hand-held hose with on/off trigger nozzle 60 mins only.
- Gardens – Low-flow microspray/drip irrigation 15 mins only.
- Cars – Hand-held hose with on/off trigger nozzle.
Odds/evens watering days
* Odd/even days correspond to odd/even house numbers, i.e. odd house numbers permitted on each odd date of the month and vice versa. No watering allowed on the 31st of the month.
Buckets or watering cans – allowed anytime
Banned
- Watering lawns
- Outdoor showers (beach showers have been turned off)
- Water play toys
- Sprinklers/soaker hoses
Limited use
- Boats and trailers used in salt water – Hand-held hose with on/off trigger nozzle, 10 mins only.
- House cleaning - Commercial cleaners only when property is for sale/lease.
- Fishponds/aquariums – Top-up to keep fish alive only.
- Swimming pool top-up – Hand-held hose with on/off trigger nozzle, before 9am or after 4pm only.
- New turf – Hand-held hose with on/off trigger nozzle, before 9am or after 4pm only:
- Up to 1 hour on day of install.
- 30 mins only for next 7 days.
Allowed – every 2nd day odds/evens* before 9am or after 4pm
- Gardens – Hand-held hose with on/off trigger nozzle 30 mins only.
- Gardens – Low-flow microspray/drip irrigation 15 mins only.
- Cars – Hand-held hose with on/off trigger nozzle 10 mins only.
Odds/evens watering days
* Odd/even days correspond to odd/even house numbers, i.e. odd house numbers permitted on each odd date of the month and vice versa. No watering allowed on the 31st of the month.
Buckets or watering cans – allowed anytime
Banned
- Watering lawns
- Swimming pool/spa top-ups (you can maintain a minimum water level to avoid structural damage only)
- Fishponds/aquariums (you can maintain a minimum water level to keep fish alive only)
- Outdoor showers (beach showers have been turned off)
- Water play toys
- Sprinklers/soaker hoses
- Irrigation and micro-spray systems
Limited use
- Boats and trailers used in salt water – Hand-held hose with on/off trigger nozzle 5 mins only
- House wash – Registered commercial cleaners only for health and safety reasons
- New turf – Hand-held hose with on/off trigger nozzle 30 minutes on day of install then 15 mins only on odds/even system for next 7 days before 9am or after 4pm (that is, water only four times in total)
Allowed – every 2nd day odds/evens* before 9am or after 4pm
- Gardens – Hand-held hose with on/off trigger nozzle 10 mins only
- Cars – Low-flow pressure cleaner 5 minutes only
Odds/evens watering days
* Odd/even days correspond to odd/even house numbers, i.e. odd house numbers permitted on each odd date of the month and vice versa. No watering allowed on the 31st of the month.
Buckets or watering cans – allowed anytime
- Dog / pet washing
- Gardens
Banned
- Watering lawns
- Swimming pool/spa top-ups (you can maintain a minimum water level to avoid structural damage only)
- Fishponds/aquariums (you can maintain a minimum water level to keep fish alive only)
- Garden watering (you can use greywater but Health Dept advises not on edible plants)
- Outdoor showers (beach showers have been turned off)
- Water play toys
- Sprinklers/soaker hoses
- Irrigation and micro-spray systems
- New turf install
- House wash, and any elements thereof, roof, paths, external walls, driveways
- Washing cars and vehicles
- Washing boats, trailers and other vehicles used in saltwater
Buckets or watering cans – allowed anytime
Fines for not complying with water restrictions
Failing to comply with water restrictions may result in a $220 fine. Repeated misuse of water may result in the water service being restricted and in extreme cases, disconnected. Please contact Council to report any breach of water restrictions.
Rainwater tanks
Having a rainwater tank does not exempt you from water restrictions:
- water restrictions apply for properties with rainwater tanks connected to town supply (nearly all rainwater tanks in urban areas)
- water restrictions apply for properties with rainwater tanks topped up by water carters.
Find out more about
rainwater tanks.
Water carting
All external water sales are banned. This means local water carters cannot sell water outside the Tweed border and carters from other areas cannot buy water from the Tweed (unless it’s being used within the Tweed Shire).
Water Carters in the Tweed Shire (38kB PDF)
Frequently asked questions
Based on the average daily water use per person as at 1 December 2019 of 193 litres, water restrictions for every person on the town supply means:
- Level 1 reduce use by 40 litres a day to Target 153L/person/day
- Level 2 reduce use by 50 litres a day to Target 144L/person/day
- Level 3 reduce use by about 60 litres a day to Target 135L/person/day
- Level 4 reduce use by about 70 litres a day to Target 126L/person/day
You can be fined $220 for failing to comply with water restrictions.
First up, Council will speak to residents who fail to comply with restrictions but if they continue to breach the rules they will be fined.
Any Council officer can be authorised to issue a fine under the Local Government Act. Council has authorised a number of its Water and Wastewater officers under the current restrictions. Council Rangers also can issue fines for non-compliance to water restrictions.
Watering lawns is banned under Level 2 water restrictions if you are on a town supply. Your neighbour may be watering their lawn using a spear pump or bore supply, which is allowed. If you are unsure of whether your neighbour has a spear pump or bore supply, please call Council and an officer will visit your neighbour for a friendly chat as they may not be aware they are doing the wrong thing.
The odds/evens system matches the property street number to the date of the month. Odd property numbers match to odd dates; even property numbers match to even dates. For example, if you live at 79 Smith Street you are allowed to water your garden on the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th etc of the month. If you live across the road at 78 Smith Street, you are allowed to water your garden on the 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th etc of the month. No one is allowed to water on the 31st on the month.
A number of councils have already imposed or are close to imposing water restrictions. In the local area, Rous Water which supplies water to Byron Bay, Ballina, Richmond Valley and Lismore councils is very close to imposing Level 1 restrictions. Severe restrictions are in place for the Midcoast Council. Level 3 restrictions are in place for Kempsey Shire and Port Macquarie-Hastings Council.
Businesses that use water as a key input will be affected by water restrictions and must comply with those restrictions.
Any business that feels it is unduly affected can contact Council to discuss their situation. Council may issue a permit to continue operating, with conditions, if warranted.
Yes, but remember all water purchased from Council’s supplies are subject to the water restriction guidelines and targets.
Not directly. To buy water from Council you need to buy it from one of the six drinking water carters licensed to operate in the Tweed.
Council has authorised water extraction points where water tankers are permitted to fill up. The filling locations minimise the travelling time for the tankers to the rural areas, minimising costs to rural residents needing a water delivery. Council will contact all water carters to remind them not to waste water and that poor and lazy practices on their part will not be accepted by the Council or the community.
Every drought is different and this one is as well. At 5 December 2019, Clarrie Hall Dam was at 79 per cent and falling nearly 2 per cent a week. The approach we are taking is precautionary and over and above what is contained in the Drought Water Restrictions Policy given that rainfall for the calendar year to 5 December 2019 is the lowest on record at 632mm for Murwillumbah (compared to the next lowest value of 742mm in 1902 with records being kept since 1881) and we have had very few spring storms.
Under Council’s Drought Water Restrictions Policy, Level 1 water restrictions for the Tweed water supply scheme were to be triggered when the capacity of Clarrie Hall dam dropped below 75 per cent. That trigger was based on water restriction rules adopted by the State Government. Council has since brought forward the restrictions due to the nature of this drought.
Council is triggering water restrictions earlier than the 75 per cent trigger above because of the nature of this drought, plus:
- Clarrie Hall Dam is falling at a rate of 1.8 per cent a week, as opposed to the earlier estimate of 1 per cent
- the imposition of restrictions would have fallen in Christmas week when Council is closed for the holiday season and media organisations and government agencies are on skeleton staffing. As well, the community is focussed on Christmas and may not be receptive to water restriction messages at that time.
Any income from water restrictions enforcement will be allocated to general reserve or used to fund vital water security infrastructure.