Media release – TasWater, 16 December 2020

Whitemark water restrictions to commence as part of Henderson Dam upgrade

Stage 2 water restrictions will apply for Whitemark from Monday 4 January 2020 until Friday 30 April 2021 in order to ensure the community has a continuous water supply throughout the Henderson Dam upgrade.

“Whitemark is supplied by water stored in the Henderson Dam, and the dam needs to be emptied to allow construction works to increase its storage capacity,” TasWater Manager, Asset Strategy, Duncan Sinclair said.

TasWater has delayed emptying the dam until late December, pushing back the start of water restrictions until the new year to ensure residents are not impacted during the Christmas period. Raising the dam’s wall height will provide Whitemark residents with greater drinking water security by doubling its storage capacity.

Given the need to reduce Henderson Dam water levels to allow work to proceed on the wall, a temporary 10-megalitre-above-ground dam will be constructed alongside the existing Whitemark Water Treatment Plant, providing additional storage for the duration of the project.

“By undertaking the civil works as we’re going into summer, Henderson Dam is set to be completed in time to fill naturally as we enter the wetter months again next year,” TasWater Capital Delivery Office (CDO) Project Manager Quentin Ward said.

“In the meantime, a Sea Water Reverse Osmosis (RO) Plant has been installed at Lady Barron as an additional temporary measure to supplement the water supply as required.”

The RO plant, regarded as leading-edge technology, is a sound interim solution that will help ensure a secure water supply for the community while the project is completed.

Introducing stage 2 water restrictions will also help ensure the community has a continuous supply of water throughout the project.

“We are asking the community to be mindful of their shared water resource and to conserve water wherever possible to ensure water will be there when it’s needed most, especially as we head into bushfire season,” Mr Sinclair said.

The project is being delivered by TasWater’s CDO, which is responsible for planning and managing the delivery of works that form part of TasWater’s $1.8 billion of essential water and sewerage improvement works over the next ten years.

TasWater greatly appreciates the Whitemark community’s support during this period and looks forward to providing residents and businesses with greater water surety once the project is completed. More information on water restrictions can be found on TasWater’s website at taswater.com.au/water restrictions

Stage 2 Water Restrictions

What do stage 2 water restrictions mean?

The aim of stage 2 restrictions is to reduce non-essential water usage by 50 per cent of average consumption.

Residential, public and commercial gardens and lawns

Garden watering is restricted to allocated days *** during the following times:
– Manual watering systems: 6am – 8am, and 8pm – 10pm*
– Automatic watering systems: 12am – 4am**
– Handheld hoses with a trigger nozzle, a bucket or watering cans: may be used at any time
– Watering of lawns is not permitted at any time.

Sporting grounds

Watering of sports grounds is restricted to allocated*** days during the following times:
– Manual watering systems: 6am – 8am, 8pm and 10pm*
– Automatic watering systems: 12am and 4am**
– Handheld hoses with a trigger nozzle, a bucket or watering can be used at any time.

Paving, concrete and other hard surfaces

– Spot cleaning for safety, health, animal welfare or emergency reasons with a hose fitted with
a trigger nozzle or with high pressure cleaning equipment is permitted
– For construction, using water for dust or pollutant suppression, or earth compaction by
means of a hose fitted with a flow cut-off device or a vehicle fitted with sprinklers is
permitted
– Hosing for general cleaning of hard surfaces such as paths, driveways and paved areas is not
permitted at any time.

Washing vehicles

– A bucket, high pressure cleaning device or commercial car wash can be used at any time
– A handheld hose fitted with a trigger is not permitted for pre-rinsing and rinsing at home.

Residential or commercial pools and spas

– Emptying and refilling existing pools, and filling new pools and spas: –
– Up to 2,000 litres: may only be refilled, or filled for the first time, using a hand-held hose
fitted with a trigger nozzle, a bucket or automatic water top-up device
– More than 2,000 litres may only be refilled, or filled for the first time when the property
owner has an approved Exemption – swimming pool or spa filling from TasWater

– Topping up pools and spas: –
– may only be topped up using a hand-held hose fitted with a trigger nozzle, a bucket, or
automatic water top-up device for a maximum of 15 minutes per day only to replace water
lost through evaporation, not removed for other purposes.

*Manual watering systems are those that physically require a tap to be turned on, this includes taps with shut off timers
**Automatic watering systems are any systems that include electronic control units
*** Allocated days:
Odd-numbered properties may water on odd dates for example the 1st, 3rd, 5th and so on
Even and no-numbered properties may water on even dates for example the 2nd, 4th, 6th, and so on;
All properties may water on the 31st of any month or the 29th of February