Nov - 2006 Water restrictions
Water supply is currently a huge issue right across Australia. As of November 1st, 2006, most of the Australian population is facing some type of water restrictions. Here is a summary of some of the key areas that affect the residential landscape & irrigation industry:
- Melbourne - stage 2
- Lawns cannot be watered.
- Gardens can only be watered between certain times on alternate days.
- Geelong - stage 3
- Lawns cannot be watered.
- No garden watering on Monday, Thursday or Friday.
- Manual or automatic drip systems, trigger nozzle or watering can only.
- Sydney & Illawarra - stage 3
- Hand held watering and drip irrigation of lawns & gardens only on Wednesdays & Sundays between 4pm & 10am.No sprinklers allowed.
- Brisbane & Gold Coast - stage 4
- Hand held watering can or bucket filled from a tap only on alternate days between 4am - 8am or 4pm - 8pm.
There is no doubt restrictions have a major impact on the irrigation industry and people’s willingness and ability to install irrigation systems. It is important to try and communicate to your customers, wherever possible, that water restrictions are temporary and it is still worthwhile installing a water-efficient system for the future. Here are some other suggestions you may like to try:
- Offer the installation of a rainwater tank & pump as a means of sourcing water for the garden instead of using mains water. Tank water is exempt from restrictions and may be used by residents to supply an irrigation system at any time. Rebates apply for tank installations in some states.
- Consider the use of a grey water system (water collected from a shower & washing machine) to supply an irrigation system. Some rules and regulations apply when using grey water so check with your local authorities before proceeding. Like tank water, grey water can be used to supply an irrigation system at any time.
- Most water authorities have some sort of watering exemptions for the establishment of new lawns or gardens. Check with your local authority what exemptions are available in your area.
- Look at supplying add-on products such as low voltage garden lighting or other landscape features as an alternative to installing an irrigation system.
- Offer to supply and install existing and previous customers with products such as mulch, watering crystals, fertilizers, etc that can help retain water in the soil and garden for longer once it’s been applied.
- Make sure any products you are supplying are compatible with current restrictions or restrictions that are likely to be in place in the future, eg: controllers that are capable of odd and even date watering, moving toward drip systems instead of sprinkler systems, etc.