Extreme restrictions as drought takes toll
IN “THE worst drought in living memory’’ the first casualty is the lawn, but the Lambert family will have more pressing problems to deal with in the weeks ahead than greening up the front yard.
Like thousands of other families across the Southern Downs they’ll be reduced to 100 litres of water a day from September 1.
In those circumstances, the humble backyard water tank becomes a crucial piece of infrastructure.
“We have the tanks set up but we need to properly connect them to the house and for that we need a plumber,” explains Stephen, the artisan baker who with wife Emma runs the popular Zest Pastries in Stanthorpe’s main street.
“And, as you can probably understand, getting a plumber is not easy at the moment.”
South Downs Mayor Councillor Tracey Dobie yesterday announced some of the onerous water restrictions ever imposed in the state as she faced down the worst drought in history which will dry up the town’s water supply by Christmas unless good rains fall.
A massive public education campaign will be launched this Sunday to educate residents on water wise habits.
The television, print and social media campaign will roll out across a massive tract of Queensland from South Burnett Regional Councils through to Toowoomba and Goondiwindi in what Cr Dobie hopes will kick start a nationwide re-education campaign on how we view our water supplies.
The restrictions have thrown a spot light on a drought which has had most of the southern part of the state in its grip since early 2017 when the remains of Cyclone Debbie swept into the interior and provided the last real, meaningful rainfall.
Cr Dobie says the locals are in no imminent danger of running out of water, and if the nearby Storm King Dam doesn’t receive replenishment from the usually reliable Spring storms, water will be trucked in.
While she is still doing the figures and won’t say the price, it is certain the bill for trucking will go into the hundreds of thousands of dollars every month – a bill the council simply cannot afford.
The other thing Stanthorpe cannot afford is to lose the patronage of tourists who have helped make the entire Granite Belt a fine food and wine mecca.
“The support of visitors, particularly our fellow Queenslanders, is so vital during this time,” Cr Dobie says.
“I urge you to continue visiting the town and beautiful surrounding regions.”