Level four water restrictions will return for the Narrabri township in response to high demand and forecast extreme heat into next week.
The heightened measures will come into effect from 7am on Saturday, January 24.
Narrabri Shire Council announced the restrictions on Thursday evening.
Council’s infrastructure delivery director Warren Faulkner said demand is currently exceeding the system’s ability to replenish, resulting in falling reservoir levels.
“Over the past few days, more water has been leaving the system than can be fed back in,” Mr Faulkner said.
“Current demand is averaging around 145 litres per second, while our maximum inlet supply is approximately 110 litres per second.”
Mr Faulkner said the situation is being compounded by prolonged hot conditions, with water use expected to rise further as residents rely more heavily on evaporative cooling, showers and general household water use.
“Namoi Reservoir is currently sitting at approximately 60 per cent, while the town reticulation reservoirs are being maintained at around 90 per cent,” he said.
“However, the distribution tank at the Namoi Reservoir is unable to recover while demand remains at these levels, particularly as we are relying primarily on the Elizabeth Street bore to feed water back into the system.”
Mayor Darrell Tiemens said the decision to move to level four restrictions was not taken lightly but is necessary to allow the system time to stabilise.
“We know these restrictions are challenging, especially during very hot weather, but they are about protecting our community’s access to safe and reliable drinking water,” Cr Tiemens said.
“Our priority is to make sure people can continue to use water inside their homes for essential needs like cooling, drinking and hygiene.”
Cr Tiemens said level four restrictions are specifically designed to reduce non-essential outdoor water use, giving reservoirs the opportunity to refill and allowing groundwater sources time to recharge.
“The biggest change under level four is the full restriction on fixed hose sprinklers, as well as no washing down of buildings, driveways or footpaths,” he said.
“These measures are about managing demand sensibly during peak conditions so the system can recover.”
Council emphasised that level four restrictions are not expected to be in place long term and will be reviewed as soon as conditions allow.
“Once the heatwave conditions ease and demand reduces, council will reassess the situation with the aim of stepping back to level three restrictions as soon as it is safe to do so,” Cr Tiemens said.
“We are monitoring the system daily and will continue to keep the community informed.”
Council also confirmed that any residential exemptions granted under previous restriction levels do not carry over under level four. A small number of commercial exemptions have been previously granted, and these will remain in place.
Mr Faulkner said work continues on medium- and long-term solutions, including the installation of a portable water treatment plant and progressing new bore options, but immediate demand management remains critical.
“Without stronger restrictions during this period of extreme heat, the risk to supply increases significantly,” he said.
“These measures give us the best chance to protect the system while we work toward more resilient solutions.”
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