With the dam level at 66% today, December 20, Rous County Council has announced it is keeping Lismore's Level 1water restrictions in place for the rest of December.

The Council will reassess the need to elevate to Level 2 in January. 

The decision was based on Rocky Creek Dam level data confirming the community is supporting Level 1 restrictions by using less water. 

However, while the demand for water has reduced, continuing dry conditions mean that the dam levels are still dropping. 

In the first week of water restrictions, the community has used an average of 33 million litres of water per day. 

This is down 15% from the previous two weeks of 38 million litres use per day prior to Level 1 restrictions. 

To safeguard drinking water through the dry summer forecast, Council considers it necessary to reduce use to 32 million litres per day throughout January whilst we remain on Level 1. 

Council also predicts a dramatic increase in demand for water due to the high number of visitors to the region for the summer holiday period. 

Rous County Council General Manager Phillip Rudd commended the community’s efforts so far but warned that water saving measures must continue as the region moves into the start of the busy tourist season. 

“The drought is having a clear impact on homes, farms and businesses across the region,” he said.

“Yet community spirit is strong in the Northern Rivers. It is heartening to see the community take positive action in response to the introduction of Level 1 restrictions by using less water. 

“Despite everyone’s ongoing efforts, dam levels continue to drop and the pressure on our water supply will only increase as we welcome thousands of visitors to the Northern Rivers and the temperature increases. Now is not the time to ease up on our water saving measures.”

“Council is calling on visitor accommodation providers to spread the message on water conservation to their guests. 

“A decision on moving from Level 1 restrictions to a tougher level is based on the Rocky Creek Dam level, and a combination of meeting a target 5% reduction in consumption and an average daily target consumption of 32 million litres per day.”

Level 1 water restrictions came into effect on 7 December 2019 and primarily include water saving measures for outdoor use. 

Rous County Council (RCC) is a multipurpose county council delivering bulk water, weed biosecurity and flood mitigation services to the Northern Rivers of NSW. RCC’s constituent councils are Lismore, Ballina, Byron and Richmond Valley: 

• Bulk water: The regional water supply authority. It provides water in bulk from its principal supply sources at Rocky Creek Dam and Emigrant Creek Dam servicing around 100,000 people. 

• Weed biosecurity: The local control authority for weed biosecurity. Operations cover an area of more than a million hectares including Kyogle and Tweed shires, which are serviced by agreement with those councils. 

• Flood mitigation: The flood mitigation authority across the local government areas of Ballina, Lismore and Richmond Valley. 

RCC also operates Richmond Water Laboratories in Lismore, providing professional sampling and analytical testing services for water and soil to NSW councils, private industry and the public. The laboratory is National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) accredited. 

www.rous.nsw.gov.au / www.waterlab.com.au