Water restrictions have been enacted in many cities and regions in Australia, which is the Earth's driest inhabited continent, in response to chronic water shortages resulting from the widespread

drought A drought is defined as drier than normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, an ...

. Depending upon the location, these can include restrictions on watering

lawn A lawn is an area of soil-covered land planted with grasses and other durable plants such as clover which are maintained at a short height with a lawnmower (or sometimes grazing animals) and used for aesthetic and recreational purposes. L ...

s, using sprinkler systems, washing vehicles, hosing pavement, refilling swimming pools, etc. Overpopulation, evidence of drying climates, coupled with corresponding reductions in the supply of drinking water has led various state governments to consider alternative water sources to supplement existing sources, and to implement "water inspectors" who can issue penalties to those who waste water. Many states describe the different levels of water restrictions in terms of "stages": starting at Stage 1, for the least restrictive, going up as far as Stage 8. The highest level reached in the current drought has been stage 7 for

Kingaroy Kingaroy is a rural town and locality in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. The town is situated on the junction of the D'Aguilar and the Bunya Highways, north-west of the state capital Brisbane and south west of Gympie. A ...

. There are different definitions given to each "stage" in different states.

Water restrictions by state or territory

Australian Capital Territory

There are presently four stages of temporary water restrictions which can be imposed by ACTEW Corporation:

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ...

was subject to Stage 1 restrictions from 1 November 2005, which were increased to Stage 2 after a year on 1 November 2006. The continuing drought led to a further increase to Stage 3 from 16 December 2006; the restrictions were maintained at Stage 3 throughout 2007 and 2008. From 1 November 2010 Canberra moved to Permanent Water Saving Rules due to heavy rain bringing water storages close to capacity.

New South Wales

The different classification levels of water restrictions in New South Wales vary widely, and are set by the different authorities responsible for water throughout the state.

Sydney

The following levels have been used by

Sydney Water Sydney Water, formally, Sydney Water Corporation, is a New South Wales Government owned statutory corporation that provides potable drinking water, wastewater and some stormwater services to Greater Metropolitan Sydney, the Illawarra and the ...

to describe the different stages of water restrictions it has imposed. Level 3 Water Restriction Information is current as of 2009.When were water restrictions introduced
/ref> Level 1 and Level 2 Water Restriction Information is current as of November 2019. Sydney Water Restrictions (2019–present) Level 1 Restrictions: In late May 2019, it was announced that Sydney Water will be reinstating Level 1 water restrictions throughout the greater Sydney area. These restrictions began on 1 June 2019, as a result of an extremely dry year. As of 29 May 2019, Greater Sydney water supply levels are 53.4%, which is significantly lower than May 2018, in which supply levels were 73% in major catchments. Level 2 Restrictions: On 21 November 2019, the NSW government announced Level 2 water restrictions. These restrictions commenced on 10 December 2019, replacing the level 1 water restrictions. Level 2 restrictions have been brought in earlier than the Metropolitan Water Plan (2017) recommends, with dam levels currently at 46.1%. Premier Gladys Berejiklian, and Minister for Water, Property and Housing, Melinda Pavey announced the restrictions early as a precautionary measure, and to stave off the implementation of Level 3 restrictions later on. Level 3 Restrictions: Upon the commencement of the Level 2 water restrictions in December 2019, Minister for Water, Property and Housing, Melinda Pavey announced that Level 3 water restrictions should be expected early in the year of 2020. Sydney Water Restrictions (2003–2009) Falling dam levels prompted Sydney Water to impose Level 1 water restrictions on the Sydney area from 1 October 2003. When these restrictions failed to stem the reduction in the city's water supplies as a result of continuing drought, and with dam levels dropping below 50 per cent, Level 2 water restrictions were introduced from 1 June 2004. Further reductions in dam levels to below 40 per cent of capacity led to an increase to Level 3 water restrictions from 1 June 2005. Level 3 water restrictions were in place as of February 2008. Since June 2009, though, Sydney Water replaced water restrictions with Water Wise Rules. The Rules include: * All hoses must now have a trigger nozzle. * Hand held hoses, sprinklers and watering systems may be used only before 10 am and after 4 pm on any day – to avoid the heat of the day. * No hosing of hard surfaces such as paths and driveways. Washing vehicles is allowed. * Fire hoses may be used for fire fighting activities only. To deal with its water shortage, New South Wales has followed the same path as Western Australia, in which a desalination plant for Sydney was built at an estimated cost of $1.3 billion. The

Sydney Desalination Plant The Sydney Desalination Plant also known as the Kurnell Desalination Plant is a potable drinking water desalination plant that forms part of the water supply system of Greater Metropolitan Sydney. The plant is located in the Kurnell industrial ...

is to be turned on when Sydney's drinking water level reaches 60% capacity, and water restrictions will be in place when drinking water reaches 50% capacity. Sydney Water has imposed fines of $220 for violations of the rules for individuals, $550 for businesses, and $2,200 for

water theft Water theft is illegal tapping of water supply systems. Together with losses from water leaks in the piping, water theft is one of the major factors contributing to non-revenue water. Thames Water estimated losses by theft to amount to 2 to ...

. Rules are enforced by Sydney Water staff through random checks.

Regional NSW

As different towns in regional New South Wales take their drinking water from different sources, different levels of water restrictions apply. The levels or stages which apply in certain towns are as follows: *

Albury Albury () is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the Hume Highway and the northern side of the Murray River. Albury is the seat of local government for the council area which also bears the city's name – the ...

– no restrictions *

Armidale Armidale is a city in the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. Armidale had a population of 24,504 as of June 2018. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. It is the administrative centre for the Northern Tablelands region. I ...

– Level 5 from October 2019 * Bathurst – Level 3 from 26 November 2019 * Cobar – Stage 5 *

Dubbo Dubbo () is a city in the Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region, with a population of 43,516 at June 2021. The city is located at the intersection of the Newell, Mitchell, and G ...

– From Saturday 1 June 2019 Level 2 Water Restrictions are in place. *

Gosford Gosford is the city and administrative centre of the Central Coast Council local government area in the heart of the Central Coast region, about north of Sydney and about south of Newcastle. The city centre is situated at the northern extre ...

– Stage 4 from 1 October 2006 *

Goulburn Goulburn ( ) is a regional city in the Southern Tablelands of the Australian state of New South Wales, approximately south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Canberra. It was proclaimed as Australia's first inland city through letters patent ...

had Stage 5 water restrictions imposed from 1 October 2004, and went on to win a National Water Conservation Award for Excellence due to the water which had been conserved. From 5 July 2007, Goulburn relaxed its water restrictions to Level 3. * Griffith – Stage 2 introduced on 27 November 2007 * Leeton – Level 3 introduced on 9 October 2007 but lowered to level 2 on 1 November 2008 *

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

– Level 1 from 16 September 2019 *

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

– Level 5 from 6 October 2019 *

Port Macquarie Port Macquarie is a coastal town in the local government area of Port Macquarie-Hastings. It is located on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, about north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. The town is located on the Tasman Sea c ...

– Stage 2 from September 2019 *

Taree Taree is a town on the Mid North Coast, New South Wales, Australia. Taree and nearby Cundletown were settled in 1831 by William Wynter. Since then Taree has grown to a population of 26,381, and is the centre of a significant agricultural distri ...

– Level 3 from 11 November 2019 *

Wagga Wagga Wagga Wagga (; informally called Wagga) is a major regional city in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, with an urban population of more than 56,000 as of June 2018, Wagga Wagga is the state's ...

– Permanent Water Conservation Measure

Northern Territory

The Territory's water resources are managed and protected by the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Aus ...

(NT) ''Water Act 1992.'' In 2017 the

Northern Territory Government The Government of the Northern Territory of Australia, also referred to as the Northern Territory Government, is the Australian territorial democratic administrative authority of the Northern Territory. The Government of Northern Territory wa ...

introduced Compulsory Water Conservation Measures to the Katherine region to take pressure off of their groundwater supplies. This meant: *Odd numbered properties can only water from 6pm-8am on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. *Even numbered properties can only water from 6pm-8am on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. *No watering on Friday. *No watering on hard surfaces such as pavements, driveways, or road surfaces. The Northern Territory do not currently have any restrictions in place.

Queensland

Some of the details of the different stages of water restrictions which apply in Queensland for the residential sector are as follows: Although some regions of Queensland have had traditionally high rainfalls, some regions of Queensland have been subject to the toughest water restrictions in place in Australia. The highest level of water restrictions reached the drought was stage 7 for

Toowoomba Toowoomba ( , nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar') is a city in the Toowoomba Region of the Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia. It is west of Queensland's capital city Brisbane by road. The urban population of Toowoomba as of the 2021 C ...

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the Sou ...

and South East Queensland reached Level 6 restrictions. On 13 May 2005, 13 local councils in southeast Queensland, including those in Brisbane, agreed to impose Stage 1 water restrictions, due to drying dams. These restrictions were increased to Stage 2 from 3 October 2005, which at the time were described as the "toughest water restrictions in southeast Queensland's history", except the Gold Coast which had been on Stage 5 restrictions since 2004. Stage 3 water restrictions were imposed on the region from 13 June 2006 amid projections that water storage levels would drop to 5% within 26 months. Water restrictions continued to increase, to Stage 4 from 1 November 2006, stage 5 from 10 April 2007, and up to Stage 6 from 23 November 2007. The Queensland Water Commission has relaxed water restrictions, with the introduction of High Level Water restrictions as of 31 July 2008. Other towns and regions of Queensland are subject to different levels of water restrictions, as set out below: * Cairns – Level 1 restrictions from October 2002 till about January 2004. * Gold Coast – Stage 6 from 23 November 2007, Stage 5 from 10 April 2007, Stage 4 from 1 November 2006. The Hinze Dam, which is the Gold Coast's main water supply reached 100% in January 2008 and the coast now has no water restrictions. *

– Stage 7 from 1 October 2007 *

– Stage 6 from 23 November 2007, Stage 5 from 26 September 2006. In 2006, the town council proposed the use of recycled wastewater to supplement town water from dams, however the scheme was rejected by the town's population and the town has since resorted to drilling artesian and sub-artesian bores as an alternative source of drinking water. *

Townsville Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...

– Stage 2 from 15 November 2006, Stage 1 from 12 February 2007. As of 2020 only minor conservation measures are in place and a major pipeline from the Haughton River (Burdekin Dam) is well under construction providing long term

water security Water security is the focused goal of water policy and water management. A society with a high level of water security makes the most of water's benefits for humans and ecosystems and limits the risk of destructive impacts associated with water. ...

to the city, council have stated water restrictions will be abolished once implemented. Source: Queensland Water Restrictions, Queensland Water Commission

South Australia

The different levels of residential water restrictions which have been applied to different regions of South Australia by SA Water are as follows: Different water restrictions levels apply to different parts of the state, depending upon the source of drinking water used in that region. SA Water have produced a map showing the current areas of water restrictions.

Areas using Murray River water

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

and much of south-eastern South Australia takes its drinking water from the

Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray) ( Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta: ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at extent. Its tributaries include five of the next six longest ...

. Permanent water conservation measures were put into place in this region in 2003, and as a result of the most severe drought to hit the region since the 1940s, Level 2 water restrictions were imposed from 22 October 2006 on those areas (including metropolitan Adelaide) which use water from the Murray River. Even lower inflows to the Murray River over the course of 2006 led to the even tougher Level 3 water restrictions being imposed on the region from 1 January 2007, which remain in place.

Other areas

The

Eyre Peninsula The Eyre Peninsula is a triangular peninsula in South Australia. It is bounded by the Spencer Gulf on the east, the Great Australian Bight on the west, and the Gawler Ranges to the north. Originally called Eyre’s Peninsula, it was named aft ...

draws most of its drinking water from underground basins, which progressively became depleted through drought and high consumption, prompting the State Government to introduce water restrictions on the entire region from 6 December 2002, apart from

Whyalla Whyalla was founded as "Hummocks Hill", and was known by that name until 1916. It is the fourth most populous city in the Australian state of South Australia after Adelaide, Mount Gambier and Gawler and along with Port Pirie and Port Augus ...

. The water restrictions for the peninsula remain in force as of 2008. Conversely, the areas in the south east of the State, south of the town of Keith, are subject to the permanent water conservation measures. Other areas in the state are not subject to water restrictions. These areas include

Murray Mallee The Murray Mallee is the grain-growing and sheep-farming area of South Australia bounded to the north and west by the Murray River (in South Australia, "River Murray"), to the east by the Victorian border, and extending about 50 km south o ...

, areas north of

Port Augusta Port Augusta is a small city in South Australia. Formerly a seaport, it is now a road traffic and railway junction city mainly located on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf immediately south of the gulf's head and about north of the state cap ...

Kangaroo Island Kangaroo Island, also known as Karta Pintingga (literally 'Island of the Dead' in the language of the Kaurna people), is Australia's third-largest island, after Tasmania and Melville Island. It lies in the state of South Australia, southwes ...

, Cockburn,

Hawker Hawker or Hawkers may refer to: Places *Hawker, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra *Hawker, South Australia, a town *Division of Hawker, an Electoral Division in South Australia *Hawker Island, Princess Elizabeth Land, Antarctica ...

, Melrose, Ororoo, Parachilna,

Quorn Quorn is a brand of meat substitute products, or the company that makes them. Quorn originated in the UK and is sold primarily in Europe, but is available in 14 countries. The brand is owned by parent company Monde Nissin. Quorn is sold as b ...

, Warooka, Wilmington, Terowie, Yunta, Olary and Manna Hill. The different levels of residential water restrictions which have been applied to different regions of South Australia by SA Water are as follows: Permanent Water Conservation Measures Eyre Peninsula Level 2 Level 3 Reticulation sprinklers: 5pm–10am (6pm–10am in DST) 6pm–8am (8pm–8am in DST) 8pm–8am, 3 days/week Prohibited Hand-held hose watering and drippers: Any time 1 day/week with trigger nozzle, 6–9am or 5–8pm.

Tasmania

Usually, there are no water restrictions for domestic consumption. Periodically, however, restrictions will be placed on how water can be used in domestic, commercial or rural areas. Examples of such restrictions are: *watering with a hose is permitted but not using a fixed sprinkler system, *being able to use sprinkler systems only during certain hours, *the initial wetting and final rinsing of a car may be done with the hose but washing must be done using a bucket, *washing a car is permitted using a bucket of water but not using the hose, *watering of sports grounds allowed only during certain hours, *watering stock is acceptable but not irrigating. One purpose of such restrictions is to keep the dam levels up and ensure adequate water pressure for the fire department's needs in the event of fires.

Victoria

The different stages of water restrictions which apply in different areas of Victoria are based on the Victorian Uniform Drought Water Restriction Guidelines, which, however, have been modified by the inclusion of a Stage 3a, to reduce the likelihood of needing to impose Stage 4 restrictions in metropolitan Melbourne. The status of water restrictions in different regions of Victoria is as set out below: *

Bairnsdale Bairnsdale () ( Ganai: ''Wy-yung'') is a city in East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia in a region traditionally owned by the Tatungalung clan of the Gunaikurnai people. The estimated population of Bairnsdale urban area was 15,411 at ...

– Now off water restrictions and on permanent water saving rules as of 24 August 2007 *

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. Within months of Vi ...

– Stage 3 from 1 January 2010, Stage 1 from 1 August 2010. * Bendigo area – Stage 3 from 1 January 2009 * Broadford – Stage 4 from 1 February 2007 *

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...

– Stage 3 from March 2010, Stage 1 from 3 October 2010 *Central

Gippsland Gippsland is a rural region that makes up the southeastern part of Victoria, Australia, mostly comprising the coastal plains to the rainward (southern) side of the Victorian Alps (the southernmost section of the Great Dividing Range). It cover ...

– All towns on Permanent Water Saving Rules *Coongulla & Glenmaggie – Stage 4 from 24 February 2007 *

Horsham Horsham is a market town on the upper reaches of the River Arun on the fringe of the Weald in West Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby tow ...

– Stage 1 from 14 October 2009 *

Mansfield Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area (followed by Sutton-in-Ashfield). It gained the Royal Charter of a market t ...

area – Stage 4 for Mansfield from 16 December 2006, other areas nearby on Stage 1 and 2 *

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metrop ...

– Stage 1 from 28 August 2006, Stage 2 from 1 November 2006, Stage 3 from 1 January 2007, Stage 3a from 1 April 2007, Stage 3 from 2 April 2010, Stage 2 from 1 September 2010. As of 1 December 2012, Melbourne was taken off water restriction stages, but new permanent water restrictions were implemented. *

Mildura Mildura is a regional city in north-west Victoria, Australia. Located on the Victorian side of the Murray River, Mildura had a population of 34,565 in 2021. When nearby Wentworth, Irymple, Nichols Point and Merbein are included, the area ...

– now off water restrictions and on permanent water saving rules as of 3 October 2010 *

Omeo Omeo ( ) is a town in Victoria, Australia on the Great Alpine Road, east of Mount Hotham, in the Shire of East Gippsland. At the 2016 census, Omeo had a population of 406. The name is derived from an Aboriginal word for 'mountains' or 'hill ...

– Stage 2 from 11 December 2006 *North east region – Bright reverted to Stage 2 and Springhurst reverted to Stage 1 on 10 September 2007. Most of the Murray towns went to Stage 4 on 1 July 2007 (e.g. Wodonga, Yarrawonga, Rutherglen etc.), and on 11 July 2007 Devenish, St James and Tungamah went to stage 3. As of 2010, most towns/cities in the North East have moved to Permanent Water Saving Rules thanks to flooding rain over winter and spring. Source: Report and map explaining the restrictions in Victoria as of September 2006 an
Water restrictions as of 2010

Western Australia

The different stages of water restrictions which can currently be applied in Western Australia are as follows: Canning Dam, Perth (3)

Water restrictions have been employed in various Western Australian towns when poor rainfall has led to water shortages. For instance, in the summer of 1977–1978,

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

was subject to a total sprinkler ban.

Newman Newman is a surname of English origin and may refer to many people: The surname Newman is widespread in the core Anglosphere. A *Abram Newman (1736–1799), British grocer * Adrian Newman (disambiguation), multiple people * Al Newman (born 196 ...

and Nullagine experienced water restrictions from 1991 and 1992 onwards as the result of drought. Similarly, the resort towns of Yallingup and Dunsborough experienced water restrictions in 1997 during a heatwave, and

Kalgoorlie Kalgoorlie is a city in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia, located east-northeast of Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway. It is sometimes referred to as Kalgoorlie–Boulder, as the surrounding urban area includ ...

-Boulder had temporary water restrictions imposed during 1998 due to shortages in its reservoirs (which contain water pumped through the

Goldfields Water Supply Scheme The Goldfields Water Supply Scheme is a pipeline and dam project that delivers potable water from Mundaring Weir in Perth to communities in Western Australia's Eastern Goldfields, particularly Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie. The project was co ...

). A Stage 1 ban on using reticulation sprinklers between 9.00 am and 6.00 pm was imposed on

residents in 1996, and remains in place to this day. This was the first water restriction imposed on the state's most populous city since the total sprinkler ban in 1978. From September 2001, users of the Integrated Water Supply Scheme (covering Perth, its surrounds and towns on the Goldfields pipeline) were subject to Stage 4 restrictions, only permitted to use reticulation sprinklers two days per week, according to a roster. The town of

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England ...

in the Mid-West encountered a water shortage in 2006 where its underground aquifer could not meet demand. Stage 5 watering restrictions were imposed, and the Water Corporation resorted to carting tankers of water to the town to maintain the supply. Stage 4 water restrictions were imposed in the South-West towns of Bridgetown, Balingup, Boyup Brook, Hester, Kirup, Greenbushes and Mullalyup from 13 October 2006. On 1 October 2007, water restrictions were expanded to cover the entire state, including those towns serviced by utilities other than the Water Corporation. Under the new system, all areas of the state in the region south of Kalbarri and Kalgoorlie (including Perth and most of the state's population) which use scheme water are subject to Stage 4 restrictions. Areas north of the dividing line are subject to Stage 2 restrictions. Furthermore, whereas the water restrictions had previously only restricted the use of mains water to water gardens and lawns by sprinkler, under the new water restrictions unlicensed bore operators in Perth and its surrounds are restricted to watering their gardens three times per week. This was to slow the depletion of underground aquifers from which Perth sources much of its drinking water. Around November 2013 the water restrictions were removed from the Water Agencies (Water Use) Bylaws 2010 and added to the Water Services Regulations 2013 Efforts are being made to secure alternative water sources to ease water shortages in the Integrated Water Supply System. Integral to the Government's strategy is the construction of desalination plants to service Perth. One has already been constructed in Kwinana, which supplies 17% of the city's water consumption and is the largest desalination plant in both the Southern and

Eastern hemisphere The Eastern Hemisphere is the half of the planet Earth which is east of the prime meridian (which crosses Greenwich, London, United Kingdom) and west of the antimeridian (which crosses the Pacific Ocean and relatively little land from pole to po ...

s. A second desalination plant near Binningup was completed in 2011. A trial has also been announced to treat wastewater and pump it into underground aquifers to undergo natural filtration as it returns to the dwindling groundwater supply.

Water storage levels

The

Australian Bureau of Meteorology Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

collates national statistics (from 2009) for water storage levels and makes them available on their water storage web tool and via a water storage iPhone app. Sources: Water Services Association of Australia, Melbourne Wate

Criticism

Water restrictions have been criticised for hampering the economy and the lifestyles of people. The National Water Commission chief has argued that Australia needs a source of water that is independent of the rainfall.

Water desalination Desalination is a process that takes away mineral components from saline water. More generally, desalination refers to the removal of salts and minerals from a target substance, as in soil desalination, which is an issue for agriculture. Salt ...

is touted as the solution for potentially unlimited water use. Former Australian Environment Minister,

Malcolm Turnbull Malcolm Bligh Turnbull (born 24 October 1954) is an Australian former politician and businessman who served as the 29th prime minister of Australia from 2015 to 2018. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. Turnbull grad ...

says that it does not make sense to have permanent water restrictions just as there are no electricity restrictions.

References

{{Portalbar, Australia Restrictions Australia Rationing by country Regulation in Australia