Oatlands will be placed under stage one water restrictions from next Monday due to what TasWater says are dry conditions and shrinking water supplies.
The restrictions begin on April 27 and will stay in place until further notice.
TasWater is asking residents and visitors to cut back on non-essential water use so there is enough left for essential needs.
The utility wants to see a 20% drop in non-essential water use.
TasWater’s Liz Hafner said the community needs to step up.
“With a lack of medium to long term forecasted rainfall, we are calling on the community to reduce their water usage,” Hafner said.
She said conditions had been very dry across Tasmania over summer, leading to higher water use.
Despite recent showers, the Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting drier than average conditions in the months ahead.
“Stage one restrictions are a simple way to help protect local supplies through the time of highest demand,” she said.
“As a state, we use more water per household than most of the country – giving us a real opportunity to lead the way in water-wise habits.”
Hafner said small changes like shorter showers and using the half-flush on the toilet all add up.
“We’re also asking locals to remind visiting friends and family to follow the restrictions,” she said.
Oatlands isn’t the only area under pressure.
Two more catchments across the state are creeping closer to restriction trigger levels – greater Launceston and Whitemark.
Lady Barron on Flinders Island and Scamander are already on stage one restrictions.
Unless significant rain falls in the coming weeks, Orford and Triabunna could face stage three restrictions shortly.
“We always encourage Tasmanians, no matter where they live, to conserve water and ‘Save Our Thing’,” Hafner said.
“We are encouraging every Tasmanian to save just 10 litres of water per person per day.”
