Mossel Bay water restrictions: What you can and cannot do

Update

MOSSEL BAY NEWS - With the implementation of water restrictions in the greater Mossel Bay area announced by the Mossel Bay Municipality on 12 January, here is a reminder of what you may and may not do when it comes to water usage.

The implementation was announced in response to Mossel Bay’s total available water supply, which recently dropped to between 60% and 50%.

Here is what you need to know about your water usage here in Mossel Bay:

Watering gardens
Gardens may be watered only two days a week, for one hour, between 18:00 and 19:00. No irrigation systems are permitted. Even-numbered households may only water on Mondays and Thursdays while odd-numbered households must only water on Tuesdays and Fridays. You may only water with a garden hose if it is hand-held.

Sports
Only the watering of cricket pitches, bowling greens and golf courses is allowed. The watering must happen for only two hours, before 09:00, on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Household water usage

No hosing of roofs, driveways or any other surface is permitted. The washing of vehicles with a garden hose is also prohibited.
No household swimming pools may be filled.

Businesses
Accommodation establishments and hotels must submit an application with the Municipal Manager, Colin Puren, to fill their swimming pools.

General
Areas with high water pressure and/or high water consumption will be identified for the installation of pressure reduction and/or flow-lowering devices.

Should Mossel Bay’s water supply drop between 50% and 40%, the above restrictions will still be in place, with additional stipulations. These are as follows:

No irrigation systems may be used
No attached garden hose or automatic irrigation equipment may be used. Watering of gardens will only be permitted by means of a bucket, under the same requirements that apply when the water supply is between 60% and 50%.
The approved tariffs for below-50% dam water will apply.
There will be stricter policing and implementation of the complaint line and whistle-blower’s facility.
There will be consultation with bulk consumers in the industrial and business sectors as identified through the billing system.
Areas with high water pressure and/or high consumption will be identified for the installation of pressure reduction and flow-lowering devices.
Flow-restricting devices will be installed in households using more than 20kl of water per month and the cost thereof will be for the consumer.

In terms of the Water Demand Management Policy, the municipal manager, Colin Puren, in consultation with the mayor, Dirk Kotzé, will be authorised to implement or waive the restrictions and any additional control measures, depending on the circumstances at the time.