Stage 3 Water Restrictions In Victoria

Stage 3 Water Restrictions came into force 1st January 2007.

The restrictions are as follows:

Lawns cannot be watered by residents, businesses and local councils. There are some exempt playing surfaces that can be watered. See your local water business for details.

Manual dripper systems can be used between 6am - 8am and 8pm - 10pm*.









Automatic dripper systems can be used between midnight - 4am*.









Hand-held hoses fitted with a trigger nozzle,watering cans and buckets can be used between 6am–8am and 8pm-10pm to water gardens.*








Vehicle washing. Hand-held hoses or high pressure cleaning devices cannot be used for vehicle washing, at any time. A bucket filled from a tap can be used to clean windows, mirrors and lights; and spot-remove corrosive substances. A commercial car wash can be used. *Even numbered houses can water on Saturday and Tuesday; odd numbered can water on Sunday and Wednesday.


Pools and spas New pools or spas of any capacity cannot be filled. An existing pool or spa of less than 2,000 litres may be filled by means of a watering can or bucket filled directly from a tap. An existing pool or spa of greater than 2,000 litres must not be filled except in accordance with a water conservation plan (contact your local water business for more information). An existing pool or spa must not be topped up except by means of a watering can or bucket, filled directly from a tap (not by means of a hose).

Penalties and Enforcement Stage 3 water restrictions must be followed and water patrols are out in force across Melbourne. If you are issued with a warning notice and still breach the restrictions, you may have your water supply restricted or face prosecution. To report a breach, call 13WATER (139 2837)

Exemptions It is possible to apply for exemptions to Stage 3 water restrictions by identifying the restrictions that you are seeking exemption from and details as to why you think an exemption is needed. Applications are available on your local water retailer's website.

Greywater, rainwater and recycled water Greywater and recycled water can be used at any time. For guidelines on safe use, visit: www.epa.vic.gov.au. No restrictions apply to rainwater collected in a storage tank, provided it is not supplemented by the mains water supply.


Mum and I began recycling our kitchen sink water by purchasing a basin, which fitted perfectly into one of the two sinks, and using it when washing up and rinsing dishes. We then put that used water on our flower garden in the front and back yard. By the time the week is out, all the pants have had a good watering and are doing really well. Initially I thought it was going to be hard to make that additional effort, but in fact both mum and I feel really great for doing it. Water is such a precious resource, the effort is a pleasure not burden.
Quite some year back a friend was telling me about the next World War. It wouldn't be over land or freedom but rather it would be over water. Something he read somewhere. If that is what the future holds, then we each have in our power to stop it from happening by doing little things which make a big difference.

This small effort from mum and I saved 137 liters of water.

Last week we took water saving even further with me installing "Every Drop Shower Saver" [EDSS]. This is a neat little Aussie award winning invention. It is a simple paddle type device which is quick and easy to install . . . Hey I ain't no plumber, LOL. Just remove your existing shower, put the EDSS in its place, put your shower back on the other end of the EDSS and lastly screw in the paddle type handle and you are done. From start to finish it takes about 10 minutes. All instructions are provided.

When is use, you simple turn on your taps and adjust your water to what suits you, get wet, turn paddle to the right to turn off the water while you soap up, then turn paddle back to rise off. Too easy :o)

BTW, seems Victorian Reece stores had no idea this product existed but the sale man in the Reece branch I went into sent out an e-mail to all Reece stores. Would you believe it, a response came back from Western Australia. I placed a special order for one which only took 4 days to arrive direct from the manufacturer.

It was just short of $45·00.

You can order direct from Stav's web site and it will cost you $48·00, which includes P & H.

Not sure how much water this will save using the EDSS but the best shower head I was able to find uses 7.5 liters of water per minute which seems a lot to me. I'll report back next quarter with what savings mum and I made although it will only reflect about one month of using the EDSS.

What are you all waiting for, go check out Stav's web site and order one for your shower.
smile-wailful