The continued dry weather prompted the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) to enact stage two — or “evenings only” — watering restrictions on Monday afternoon.
Under the restrictions, which apply to all Sunshine Coast water users, sprinklers can be used on lawns, trees, shrubs, flowers or vegetables from 7 to 9 p.m., in keeping with each area’s designated schedule.
Handheld hoses with shut-off devices can be used anytime for watering trees, shrubs, flowers or vegetables, but no hosing of sidewalks or driveways is permitted.
Also, if a fire occurs, all sprinklers in the neighbourhood must be shut off to ensure firefighters have enough water pressure.
Bryan Shoji, SCRD general manager of infrastructure services, said it will take “a good solid week of rain” before the restrictions can be lifted.
“It’s all weather dependent. If we get a month of drought then we’re going to be in serious challenges. We want to make sure we save as much as we can in case we do have a prolonged drought,” Shoji said.
“We are taking this very seriously. If we have another dry week we’ll have to go to stage three – no sprinkling. We’re pretty close to stage three,” he said.
Consequences for violations could range from fines to temporary shut-off of water services.
