Central Highlands Water (CHW) continues to prepare for a range of different climatic conditions following the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) declaring that El Niño and a positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is underway.
El Niño events increase the risk of extreme temperature shifts, including hotter days and heatwaves. These conditions may lead to an increased frequency and intensity of bushfires.
In the event of a bushfire, CHW cannot guarantee continuous water pressure or uninterrupted water supply to customers in our service region. If defending your property from fire this season, it is important to plan for such a situation and ensure you have access to alternate water sources.
“We continuously plan for fire, flood and other emergency events by preparing our people and our water supply network to cope with extreme weather conditions,” CHW Managing Director Jeff Haydon said.
“We work closely with the Country Fire Authority (CFA), local councils and the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) to keep our infrastructure and our community safe.”
For more information about bushfire preparedness, please visit the CHW website here: https://www.chw.net.au/home-business/faults-and-outages/water-supply
CHW is also preparing for summer by reminding customers of Permanent Water Saving Rules (PWSR), a set of common-sense rules that apply every day of the year. The rules help all of us use water efficiently, even this year, when water remains at healthy levels in our storages.
PWSRs are a set of simple, common-sense rules, for example using a bucket or a handheld hose, fitted with a trigger nozzle when washing your car, watering gardens between 6:00 pm and 10:00 am and the use of recirculated water for water features or fountains.
For more information about Permanent Water Saving Rules, please visit the CHW website here: https://www.chw.net.au/education-sustainability/saving-water-at-home-and-work/permanentwater-saving-rules
