Water restrictions

Township	Permanent Water Saving Rules	Stage 1 ‘Alert’ Restrictions	Stage 2 ‘Save’ Restrictions	Stage 3 ‘Just Enough’ Restrictions	Stage 4 ‘Critical’ Restrictions
Alberton	Yes	No	No	No	No
Cape Paterson	Yes	No	No	No	No
Devon North	Yes	No	No	No	No
Dumbalk	Yes	No	No	No	No
Fish Creek	Yes	No	No	No	No
Foster	Yes	No	No	No	No
Inverloch	Yes	No	No	No	No
Korumburra	Yes	No	No	No	No
Leongatha	Yes	No	No	No	No
Loch	Yes	No	No	No	No
Nyora	Yes	No	No	No	No
Meeniyan	Yes	No	No	No	No
Poowong	Yes	No		No	No
Port Albert	Yes	No	No	No	No
Port Franklin	Yes	No	No	No	No
Port Welshpool	Yes	No	No	No	No
Welshpool	Yes	No	No	No	No
Wonthaggi	Yes	No	No	No	No
Yarram	Yes	No	No	No	No

Permanent Water Saving Rules

Permanent Water Saving Rules are in place across the state every day of the year. These simple, common-sense rules help us all use drinking water wisely to reduce waste and ensure we’re doing our part to safeguard it for generations to come.

While most people do the right thing, it’s important to know that breaking the rules can lead to penalties.

These rules apply only to drinking water — not greywater, rainwater, bore water, or recycled water.

Below is a summary of the rules. For full details, please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions.

Permanent Water Saving Rules:

Hoses – must always be leak free and fitted with trigger nozzles. Trigger nozzles ensure less water is wasted.

Garden watering – Home and commercial gardens can only be watered between 6pm and 10am, if using watering systems. This avoids the hottest part of the day when water wastage occurs due to evaporation. You can water gardens at any time using a hand-held hose, watering can or bucket.

Hard surfaces – Water must not be used to clean hard surfaces such as concrete, paths and driveways. Exemptions apply when cleaning is needed to address a hazard, surface staining or during construction, see FAQ for more information.

           

Staged water restriction information

South Gippsland Water, from time to time and dependent upon water supplies, will activate Staged Water Restrictions in order to reduce consumption and demand on the drinking water supply system. There are 4 Stages of water restrictions;

Stage 1: ‘Alert’; Seek to ‘ALERT’ customers that weather conditions require water efficient practices be activated.
Stage 2: ‘Save’ Water; Seek to ensure customers ‘SAVE’ water due to dry weather conditions.
Stage 3: ‘Just Enough’; Aim to communicate that water storage levels are ‘JUST ENOUGH’ given the current climatic conditions. Customers should limit their use of water.
Stage 4: ‘Critical’ Water; Indicate that water storage levels are at ‘CRITICAL’ low levels. Restrictions limit the use of water.

Exemption & water use plans applications

Permanent water-saving rules are always in place to help us use water efficiently. Water corporations sometimes use water restrictions to help manage urban water use.

A Water Use Plan controls the use of water for specific purposes or for a specific stage of restrictions. It helps you maximise your water-savings during restrictions. In special circumstances, you can request an exemption from some permanent water saving rules or a stage of water restrictions.

If these circumstances apply to you, you can apply for an exemption.

A Water Use Plan will only be approved if the water use described in the plan is permitted under the relevant stage of restrictions, and the Water Use Plan is part of a water restriction exemption application.

If you need support in another language, we provide access to an interpreter service and a TTY service for speech and hearing-impaired customers. To access these services please call the numbers below.
Translating and Interpreting Service 131 450
TTY facility 1800 555 677

Relevant application forms

To apply for a restriction exemption or Water Use Plan, please select the relevant application form:

Medical exemption from using a trigger nozzle	Water new warm season grass
Water a residential garden or lawn outside of set times	Residential pool or spa
Garden of Significance	Residential pond or lake
Construction or hard surface cleaning	General residential water use

More information relating to water restrictions and water use plans

• Water Restrictions Model By-law – 8 2023
• Drought Preparedness Plan (2022)
• Water Use Plans – By-Law Categories
• Restrictions Schedule
• Restrictions Definitions