Car Washing, Lawn Sprinklers Will Be Banned In Melbourne Effective New Year's Day

[hatrack]

PEOPLE in Melbourne will be banned from washing cars, filling new pools and using sprinklers from New Year's Day under stage-three water restrictions. The bans come as rainfall over water catchments dips to 40 per cent below levels in 1982, the previous recorded low. Rainfall into Melbourne's reservoirs has totalled 5.2mm this month -- just 6 per cent of the usual monthly average of between 84 and 89mm.

Announcing the new restrictions yesterday, Water Minister John Thwaites warned that if autumn rains did not come, householders could be banned from using any water at all outside the home under stage-four restrictions.

Under the stage-three plan, residents will be able to water gardens only twice a week, and lawns not at all. Even-numbered households can water on Saturdays and Tuesdays between 6am and 8am or 8pm and 10pm, while odd-numbered households can water on Sundays and Wednesdays.

Sprinkler and spray systems will be banned, and automatic drip systems will be restricted to twice a week between midnight and 4am. Drivers will not be allowed to wash their cars at home, and commercial car washes will come under scrutiny for their water efficiency. New pools and spas cannot be filled, and existing pools and spas can only be topped up with a bucket.

EDIT

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20943873-30417,00.html

[BlueStorm]

1. I'm all for enviromental solutions and what not

but isn't this a bit extreme?

Blue

[hatrack]

2. Well, the drought's the worst in 1,000 years, according to the climatologists

Extreme times can call for extreme measures.

[kestrel91316]

3. Okay, let's see what happens when they continue wasting water

and then SUDDENLY THE TAPS RUN DRY.

[bananas]

5. What would you have them do?

This is a very common approach in desert areas, for example Las Vegas, Tucson, etc.

[bhikkhu]

6. extreme to not water lawns and wash cars?

it is difficult to imagine where such a statement could come from - certainly not fron any of the 2 billion or so humans lacking adequate clean water...

[Javaman]

7. Some people will never get it...

I have an old car, never wash it, I use the water I capture from my rain barrels for the lawn.

I work with a guy whose wife is a green lawn freak. He complains about how high their water bill is. I tried explaining to him the benefits of having a water capturing system, he just shrugged it off and continued to complain. This guy is a classic example of the American idiot. Why you ask? the dumb bastard is a civil engineer. If anyone should know better, he should.

[brer cat]

4. k&r, but environmental threads tend to die here.

Very sad, because we all have this ahead of us. My sister and I are already recycling water, and have greatly reduced our needs. We have no grass, only a few flower beds (with drought-tolerant plants) and mostly a veg garden in our yard, and we do very little outdoor watering from pipes. It's amazing how much water most people waste...waiting for the water to get hot for a shower or to wash dishes, rinsing dishes, emptying pots of good water after pasta has cooked, etc. Put a bucket in each room, save it, and water the garden!!!