Permanent Water Saving Rules (PWSR) are 5 common-sense rules that help everyone to use water efficiently and avoid waste. They don't affect the use of grey, tank, bore or recycled water.
The rules apply at all times unless water restrictions are in place. Find out if there are water restrictions in your town.
5 Permanent Water Saving Rules
1. Trigger nozzle
- Use a leak-free hand-held hose fitted with a trigger nozzle at any time.
2. Watering systems
- Watering systems can be used on residential or commercial gardens and lawns any day between 6pm and 10am.
- A bucket or watering can may be used at any time.
3. Public spaces
- Public gardens, lawns and playing surfaces can be watered at any time with a hand-held hose, bucket or watering can.
- A watering system fitted with a rain or soil moisture sensor can be used any day between 6pm and 10am.
4. Water features
- Only use fountains or water features that recirculate water.
5. Hard surfaces
- Use a high pressure hose, hand-held hose or bucket to water hard surfaces during construction or renovations or to remove a hazard.
- Hard surfaces can be cleaned once every 3 months if staining develops.
View our Water Restriction By-laws, which sets out four stages of restrictions and prohibitions on the use of water that can be mandated by Coliban Water when it is considered necessary to conserve water.
Stage 1 Water Restrictions
| Residential and commerical gardens and lawns | ||
| Hand watering residential or commercial gardens or lawns | ✔ | Any time with a hand-held hose fitted with a trigger nozzle |
| Watering residential or commercial gardens or lawns using a watering system | ✔ | Only on alternate days* between 6am - 10am and 6pm - 10pm |
| Public gardens, lawns and playing surfaces | ||
| Hand watering public gardens, lawns and playing surfaces | ✔ | Any time with a hand-held hose fitted with a trigger nozzle |
| Watering public gardens, lawns and playing surfaces using a watering system | ✔ | Only on alternate days* between 6am - 10am and 6pm - 10pm or in accordance with an approved Water Use Plan |
| Fountains and water features | ||
| Fill up or top up a fountain or water feature | ✔ | Allowed if the fountain or water feature recirculates the water |
| Hard surfaces | ||
| Hosing down hard surfaces | ✘ | Exceptions exist where cleaning is required due to a health or safety hazard, or other emergency |
| Construction or renovation | ✔ | Use a high-pressure cleaning unit, or if unavailable, a hose fitted with a trigger nozzle, or bucket |
| Vehicle washing | ||
| Vehicle washing at home | ✔ | Use a high-pressure cleaning unit, a hose fitted with a trigger nozzle, bucket or watering can |
| Commercial car wash | ✔ | |
| Sporting grounds | ||
| Councils and schools watering sports grounds and gardens | ✔ | In accordance with the times under State One restrictions, or an approved Water Use Plan |
| Pools, spas and water toys | ||
| Filling new pool or spa up to 2,000 litres | ✔ | Use a hand-held hose, bucket, watering can or an automatic water top-up device |
| Filling new or existing pool or spa greater than 2,000 litres | ✔ | Only in accordance with an approved Water Use Plan |
| Topping up an existing pool or spa | ✔ | Use a hand-held hose, bucket, watering can or an automatic water top-up device |
| Filling or topping up a mobile spa | ✔ | Only in accordance with an approved Water Use Plan |
| Water toys connected to a hose | ✘ | |
*Alternate days refers to an odd/even house number, date-based approach: Properties with odd numbers can water on odd dates - 1st, 3rd, 5th etc. Properties with even or no number can water on even days - 2nd, 4th, 6th etc. Any property can water on the 31st of any month, or February 29.
Stage 2 Water Restrictions
| Residential and commerical gardens and lawns | ||
| Hand watering residential or commercial gardens | ✔ | Any time with a hand-held hose fitted with a trigger nozzle |
| Hand watering residential or commercial lawns | ✘ | |
| Watering gardens using a watering system | ✔ | Only on alternate days* between 6am - 8am and 6pm - 8pm |
| Public gardens, lawns and playing surfaces | ||
| Hand watering public gardens and playing surfaces | ✔ | Any time with a hand-held hose fitted with a trigger nozzle |
| Watering public lawns | ✘ | |
| Watering public gardens and playing surfaces using a watering system | ✔ | Only on alternate days* between 6am - 8am and 6pm - 8pm or in accordance with an approved Water Use Plan |
| Fountains and water features | ||
| Fill up or top up a fountain or water feature | ✘ | |
| Hard surfaces | ||
| Hosing down hard surfaces | ✘ | Exceptions exist where cleaning is required due to a health or safety hazard, or other emergency |
| Construction or renovation | ✔ | Use a high-pressure cleaning unit, or if unavailable, a hose fitted with a trigger nozzle, or bucket |
| Vehicle washing | ||
| Vehicle washing at home | ✔ | Use a high-pressure cleaning unit, a hose fitted with a trigger nozzle, bucket or watering can |
| Commercial car wash | ✔ | |
| Sporting grounds | ||
| Councils and schools watering sports grounds and gardens | ✔ | In accordance with the times under State Two restrictions, or an approved Water Use Plan |
| Pools, spas and water toys | ||
| Filling new pool or spa up to 2,000 litres | ✔ | Use a hand-held hose, bucket, watering can or an automatic water top-up device |
| Filling new or existing pool or spa greater than 2,000 litres | ✔ | Only in accordance with an approved Water Use Plan |
| Topping up a new or existing pool or spa with hand-held hose, bucket or watering can | ✔ | Only on alternate days* between 6am - 8am and 6pm - 8pm or in accordance with an approved Water Use Plan |
| Topping up a new or existing pool or spa using an automatice water top-up device | ✔ | |
| Filling or topping up a mobile spa | ✔ | Only in accordance with an approved Water Use Plan |
| Water toys connected to a hose | ✘ | |
*Alternate days refers to an odd/even house number, date-based approach: Properties with odd numbers can water on odd dates - 1st, 3rd, 5th etc. Properties with even or no number can water on even days - 2nd, 4th, 6th etc. Any property can water on the 31st of any month, or February 29.
Stage 3 Water Restrictions
| Residential and commerical gardens and lawns | ||
| Hand watering residential or commercial gardens | ✔ | Only on alternate days* between 6am - 8am with a hand-held hose fitted with a trigger nozzle |
| Watering residential or commercial lawns | ✘ | |
| Watering gardens using a watering system | ✔ | Only using a dripper watering system on alternate days* between 6am - 8am |
| Public gardens, lawns and playing surfaces | ||
| Hand watering public gardens and playing surfaces | ✔ | Only on alternate days* between 6am - 8am using a hand-held hose fitted with a trigger nozzle |
| Watering public lawns | ✘ | |
| Watering public gardens and playing surfaces using a watering system | ✔ | Only use a dripper watering system on alternate days* between 6am - 8am or in accordance with an approved Water Use Plan |
| Fountains and water features | ||
| Fill up or top up a fountain or water feature | ✘ | |
| Hard surfaces | ||
| Hosing down hard surfaces | ✘ | Exceptions exist where cleaning is required due to a health or safety hazard, or other emergency |
| Construction or renovation | ✔ | Use a high-pressure cleaning unit, or if unavailable, a hose fitted with a trigger nozzle, or bucket |
| Vehicle washing | ||
| Vehicle washing at home or commercial car-wash | ✔ | Only windows, mirrors, lights and registration plates and spot removing corrosive substances where cleaning is required due to a health and safety hazard or other emergency. If at home only use a bucket or watering can. |
| Sporting grounds | ||
| Councils and schools watering sports grounds and gardens | ✔ | In accordance with the times under State Three restrictions, or an approved Water Use Plan |
| Pools, spas and water toys | ||
| Filling new or existing residential or commercial pool or spa | ✘ | |
| Filling new or existing public pool or spa | ✔ | Only in accordance with an approved Water Use Plan |
| Topping up an existing residential or commercial pool or spa; or new or existing public pool or spa using hand-held hose, bucket or watering can | ✔ | Only on alternate days* between 6am - 8am or in accordance with an approved Water Use Plan |
| Topping up an existing residential or commercial pool or spa; or new or existing public pool or spa using an automatic water top-up device | ✔ | |
| Filling or topping up a mobile spa | ✘ | |
| Water toys connected to a hose | ✘ | |
*Alternate days refers to an odd/even house number, date-based approach: Properties with odd numbers can water on odd dates - 1st, 3rd, 5th etc. Properties with even or no number can water on even days - 2nd, 4th, 6th etc. Any property can water on the 31st of any month, or February 29.
Stage 4 Water Restrictions
| Residential and commerical gardens and lawns | ||
| Watering residential or commercial gardens and lawns | ✘ | |
| Public gardens, lawns and playing surfaces | ||
| Watering public gardens, lawns and playing surfaces | ✘ | |
| Fountains and water features | ||
| Fill up or top up a fountain or water feature | ✘ | |
| Hard surfaces | ||
| Hosing down hard surfaces | ✘ | Exceptions exist where cleaning is required due to a health or safety hazard, or other emergency |
| Construction or renovation | ✔ | Use a high-pressure cleaning unit, or if unavailable, a hose fitted with a trigger nozzle, or bucket |
| Vehicle washing | ||
| Vehicle washing at home or commercial car-wash | ✔ | Only windows, mirrors, lights and registration plates and spot removing corrosive substances where cleaning is required due to a health and safety hazard or other emergency, using a bucket or watering can. |
| Sporting grounds | ||
| Councils and schools watering sports grounds and gardens | ✘ | |
| Pools, spas and water toys | ||
| Filling new or existing residential or commercial pool or spa | ✘ | |
| Filling new or existing public pool or spa | ✔ | Only in accordance with an approved Water Use Plan |
| Topping up an existing residential or commercial pool or spa | ✔ | Only using a bucket or watering can, or in accordance with an approved Water Use Plan |
| Topping up a new or existing public pool or spa using an automatic water top-up device | ✔ | Only in accordance with an approved Water Use Plan |
| Filling or topping up a mobile spa | ✘ | |
| Water toys connected to a hose | ✘ | |