General News
30 April, 2026
Emergency water restrictions imposed in Tenterfield
Tenterfield water restrictions
Tenterfield Shire council has taken “an emergency step” to conserve water in the dam.
The decision was made in the last ordinary meeting of council held in Urbenville Hall last week. It was a quick decision after it was acknowledged that dam levels dropped from 78 percent to 75 percent in just one week and no break in the dry weather forecasted. A senior staff member called the drop “concerning”.
“It is a dramatic drop in a very short time,” one councillor commented.
The decision to introduce an immediate shift to Level One water restrictions was made both in light of high water usage currently, the declining level of the dam, and on the advice from the council’s water supply team.
Mayor Bronwyn Petrie pointed out that the entire shire is now drought affected, but none of it is listed as “in drought” by the state government.
“Hence the proposal to consider imposing Level One restrictions immediately to preserve our dam water” the Mayor said adding, “without freaking people out”.
Councillors pointed out that there were two items on the table. First, the immediate introduction of water saving measures. Secondly, a revision of the trigger levels for water restrictions with community feedback.
The Drought Management Plan was originally adopted by TSC in 2010, and has been renewed and revised in response to the 2018 drought and again in 2020. The trigger levels for imposing water restrictions have recently come under review to reduce the risk of running out of dam water.
“By imposing restrictions earlier, the Tenterfield community will have increased water security and will gradually transition to reduced water usage,” the tabled report reads.
Mayor Petrie commented that the current triggers, especially Level 5 at 15% dam capacity “makes no sense at all”.
If the draft trigger proposals are put in place, level one restrictions will begin when the dam reaches 80%. Level two restrictions take place at 75% levels, which may be immanent. Under this, sprinklers and hoses are only allowed 15 minutes a day between 4 pm and 9 am. Hand held hoses are allowed a maximum of a half hour a day in the same time period with only one hose per property. Filling new pools or existing pools is banned and topping up pools is only allowed by handheld hose for 1 hour a day outside of the hours of 8 am and 4 pm. Cars can be washed by bucket only.
Council would restrict the times when the public pool can be topped up and commercial and council vehicles can only be cleaned with buckets on grassed areas as well.
Deputy Mayor Greg Sauer thanked staff for the research and work put into the report which allowed councillors to make an informed decision quickly.
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