BATHURST residents appear to be getting the message about conserving water, with the average daily use per person well below expectations.
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The information is included in a new report prepared by Bathurst Regional Council's director of Engineering Services, Darren Sturgiss, which provides an update on water security in the region.
He said demand reductions have been achieved, mainly through the implementation, management and enforcement of extreme water restrictions.
The Drought Management Plan states that average residential use per person per day for the current restrictions should be 183 litres.
"Over the past 16 weeks of extreme restrictions, the average residential use of water in litres per person per day is 161, which is well below the 2014 Drought Management Plan expectations," Mr Sturgiss said.
Residents have also been able to improve on this figure, with consumption being as low as 140 litres over the last two weeks of January.
However, Mr Sturgiss noted that this may have been due to people being away over the school holidays.
Irrigators have also contributed to decreased consumption, as their allocation was reduced in late 2019.
"Looking at the figures obtained from weekly monitoring of council's water operations and observations in the field, it appears that irrigators have slowed and, in some cases, ceased their take of water from the river," Mr Sturgiss said.
Council has used a comprehensive media and information campaign to inform the community about water restrictions, which has helped with compliance.
"The current extreme level of restrictions is achieving great community support and will most likely remain in place for a number of months, unless significant rainfall and substantial inflows raise the level in Chifley Dam," Mr Sturgiss said.
However, the report also notes that there have been some people ignoring the rules.
Council has received around 180 complaints, with about 50 cases requiring a courtesy letter.
Two caution letters had also been sent and council had to issue two fines.
Council hopes to improve water security for Bathurst through two short-term water projects, stormwater harvesting and the Winburndale Dam upgrade.
More information about water restrictions and projects is available on council's website.
If people want to report someone who's not following the rules, they should call the hotline on 6333 1683 or email waterrestrictions@bathurst.nsw.gov.au.
