Water restrictions have one primary purpose - to conserve water! The health of the water supply dictates the level of restrictions, Stage 1 being the most mild and Stage 4 being the most severe. Water restrictions apply to everyone in the community, unless exempted by GWMWater.
Note that the information below is just a guideline to staged water restrictions. A lot of restrictions aren't as simple as YES or NO; they're often conditional on times and methods. For full details, refer to Water Restrictions - Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning.
When using a hose, always use a trigger nozzle so that you're using water efficiently!
Watering the garden
Gardens - hand watering |
Lawns - hand watering |
Watering systems |
|
STAGE 1 |
YES | YES |
YES 6 am to 10 am and 6 pm to 10 pm on alternate days |
STAGE 2 |
YES | NO |
YES 6 am to 10 am and 6 pm to 10 pm on alternate days |
STAGE 3 |
YES From 6 am - 8 am |
NO |
YES 6 am to 8 am on alternate days |
STAGE 4 |
YES With a bucket or watering can |
NO | NO |
Pools and spas
Pool Capacity |
|
|
||
Under 2,000 L |
|
Over 2,000 L |
||
| Fill up | Top up | Fill up | Top up | |
STAGE 1 |
YES | YES | NO | YES |
STAGE 2 |
YES | YES | NO | YES |
STAGE 3 |
NO | YES | NO | YES |
STAGE 4 |
NO | NO | NO | NO |
Washing your vehicle
STAGE 1 and 2 |
YES |
STAGE 3 and 4 |
NO Only for health and safety reasons |
Alternate days
You will see this term mentioned throughout water restriction rules. It means people can only water their gardens and/or lawns on certain dates of the month according to whether their street number is odd or even-numbered:
Even and un-numbered properties can water on even dates. For example, if you live at number 16 you can water on the 2nd or 4th, but not the 3rd or 5th.
Odd-numbered properties can water on odd dates. For example if you live at number 17, you can water on the 3rd or 5th, but not the 4th or 6th.
On February the 29th and the 31st of any month any property number can water.
Legality of water restrictions
Water restrictions are based on the Victorian Government’s four-stage 
Water Restrictions By-Law No 105 (5.67MB, 34 pages) as adopted by GWMWater.
Customers are urged to abide by these restrictions as contravention may result in penalties of up to $6060 or three months imprisonment for the first offence.
ExemptionsGeneralExemptions may be granted if GWMWater considers that reasonable grounds have been presented. As a part of the process, you may need to place a Submission of a Water Conservation Plan to GWMWater. All applications for exemption will be responded to in writing within 10 business days of receipt.
Large poolsThe filling of large pools is limited under water restrictions. If you want to fill a pool with a capacity over 2,000 L, you'll need permission from GWMWater.
If you need help, call us on 1300 659 961. |