Urban Water Restrictions - January 2011
On 1 January, Central Highlands Water removed Stage 1 restrictions for Ballarat and district and Maryborough and district. Both regions had been on restrictions for more than five years.
On 15 January, Coliban Water removed restrictions for more than 25 towns in several of its service regions. Towns included Bendigo and district, Kyneton, and towns supplied by Coliban’s Loddon, Campaspe, Murray and Wimmera systems.
By the end of January, only 103 Victorian towns were subject to water restrictions. This is the lowest number of towns on restrictions for close to a decade. At the same time last year, 250 towns were subject to water restrictions.
Only two towns (Streatham and Westmere in western Victoria) are subject to severe Stage 4 (with exemptions) restrictions. These towns are supplied by groundwater and the current shortage has been caused by temporary infrastructure limitations that will be resolved in early 2011.
Over 410 towns are not on restrictions, but are subject to permanent water savings rules.