Cape water on brink
NORTHERN Peninsula Area Regional Council Mayor Eddie Newman has ruled out trucking water into communities if levels on the Jardine River continue to drop.
According to the latest Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy data, the river is currently at 1.595m.
If the level drops any further, pumps used to send water from the river to New Mapoon, Bamaga, Injinoo and Umagico will fail.
Mr Newman said water restrictions were a Level 6 in the council area.
“We have some rain clouds over the river, that’s a good sign but basically we’re waiting,” he said.
“Every year it goes dry like this and makes it hard for the ferry to cross so I’ve been communicating to the communities the importance of using less water.”
He said bringing water in from outside was too costly and if there was no rain in coming weeks, he would consider installing another pump to reach the water.
In 2016, the river reached its lowest point “in living memory”, with the gauge recording close to 1.4m in height at the time.
The news comes as other parts of the Far North are gripped with water restrictions, with Douglas Shire Council yesterday elevating their measures to Level 3.
That means there is a temporary ban on sprinklers and irrigation systems across the region.
The elevation of restrictions coincides with water levels at the Rex Creek Intake dropping to below 100mm.
Mayor Julia Leu urged everyone to decrease water usage, particularly in the backyard and gardens.
“The past couple of years have been unusually dry and council is left with no choice but to prepare for further drier conditions and impose more strict restrictions,” she said. “We are asking people to help us save water, ditch the sprinklers and limit your water usage to essential household tasks.
“Council will be working with our heavy water users to reduce demand from our water supply.”
On the Tablelands, Mayor Joe Paronella is asking residents to heed Level 2 water restrictions due to supply issues in the Millstream Area.
“Residents are not heeding water restrictions, and supplies are repeatedly falling to very low levels,” Mr Paronella said.
“We’ve visited properties and appealed to residents, but we continue to see well above average water use in these areas.”
He reminded residents that penalties for noncompliance could apply if they are caught excessively using water. For more information about water restriction measures, visit your local council’s website.