By ALENA HIGGINS
RESIDENTS caught breaching tighter water restrictions could be hit with a fine, after a council director signaled his intent to hire a private enforcer.
Southern Downs Regional Council director engineering services Peter See foreshadowed the move at the 24 November council meeting, telling councilors “if they had a problem with it, now was the time to tell him”.
“Our staff will become incredibility unpopular fining people,” he said.
Council has resolved to conduct an extensive advertising campaign to alert residents to the new, high-level restrictions, which only allow one hour of hand watering three times a week and a maximum consumption target of 170 litres per person per day.
It has also indicated it will take a no-nonsense approach to people found watering outside the allocated timeframe of 6pm to 7pm.
Tighter water restrictions were triggered when Leslie Dam dropped to 30 per cent capacity on 25 November, prompting Warwick, Allora, Dalveen, Pratten, Karara and Leyburn to join Stanthorpe on high level restrictions.
Without significant rain, Storm King Dam could be empty within a year, Mr See said, bringing home the severity of the problem.
Currently sitting at just under 60 per cent capacity, residents are consuming about one per cent per week.
He said he had already begun working on a disaster management plan to truck or rail water to the Granite Belt if the need arose. That plan will shortly come before council for endorsement.
Cr Cameron Gow welcomed a concerted PR campaign which allowed residents to track their water usage.
“We need to work with the media to forewarn the public in Stanthorpe and Warwick and provide them with usage figures to conserve as much water as possible,” Cr Gow said.
See the range of water restrictions.
