Councillors open to a conversation about reviewing Bathurst's water restrictions

If you ask councillor Warren Aubin, the situation doesn't make a great deal of sense.

He thinks it is time for Bathurst Regional Council to reconsider the need for water restrictions again as the long-range forecast points to more above-average rainfall for the region.

Currently, Level 2A restrictions apply after being developed and introduced in March, 2022.

This level permits watering of gardens and topping up of pools at specified times, along with the washing of cars at home provided the vehicle is on the lawn.

However, people are still not permitted to wash outdoor hard surfaces, except for health and safety purposes or prior to painting.

Cr Aubin said that, so long as the dam is overflowing, people should be able to use their water how they like.

"There is water running over the spillway wall that is going to Dubbo. We don't get any of it at all, so we should be using it," he said.

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"... They say, 'We've got short memories, we shouldn't be using water too much', but, honestly, with the state of play at the moment, we should relax it for six months even.

"To keep the restrictions on now, I just find it a little bit ridiculous. I just think that people should be able to go out and use their water as they want, when they want, at the moment because it's just plentiful."

Cr Aubin has attempted to have water restrictions relaxed for cleaning purposes before, but did not get a lot of support in the chamber.

It seems councillors are still reluctant to make significant changes to water restrictions.

Cr Jess Jennings said the city has to learn from the most recent drought, where Bathurst came very close to running out of water.

"While it's wet most people don't feel restrictions [are necessary] but we must learn the lesson from the last drought," he said.

"The simple fact is Bathurst can run out of water in only four short years from Chifley Dam being 100 per cent full. Proof is that council was seriously considering shutting the city down prior to the last drought breaking.

"Council needs to adopt a more conservative restriction trigger system that factors in Bureau of Meteorology seasonal outlooks for tighter, more targeted and earlier local triggers.

"The new climate normal is coming in the form of greater weather extremes of all kinds be it bigger dumps and floods in wet years and more intense heat and droughts in dry times."

While he's open to having a conversation about relaxing water restrictions, Cr Andrew Smith is hesitant about the idea of there being no restrictions at all.

"The big thing for me, though, is we need to continue the momentum that we maintained through water restrictions and probably look at it as the new way of using water," he said.

"I think there's certainly some opportunity to look at possible easing of restrictions on water, but I don't think we'll ever get back to the point where it should be a free for all like we were and then we move to water restrictions during drought and dire straits.

"Water is precious. It's a precious resource and we need to treat it that way even though we are swimming in it."

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