Water, Sewage & Effluent July August 2018 | Page 11

•
•
Property owners are not required to comply with this by-law
by altering a water installation or part thereof which was
installed in conformity with a previous version of the by-law.
Only when it becomes time to replace toilets and shower
heads due to age or malfunction must new parts that
conform with the revised standards be fitted.
All automatic flushing cisterns fitted to urinals must
however be replaced immediately with either manually
operated systems or properly maintained non-manual
apparatus that causes the flushing device to operate only
after each use. This is especially common in public facilities,
such as restaurants and shopping centres.
Residents are also reminded that the following sections of
the Water By-law have been in place since 2010 and will remain
in place even when water restrictions are eventually lifted.
1. Where a hosepipe is used to irrigate a garden, park, or
sports field [from a potable water source], a controlling
device such as a sprayer or automatic self-closing
device must be attached to the hose end.
2. Automated sprinkler systems should be able to be
correctly positioned and be able to be adjusted to
prevent water wastage.
3. No person may, without prior written authority from the
Director: Water and Sanitation, hose down a hard-surfaced
or paved area using water from a potable source.
4. A hosepipe used for washing vehicles, boats, and caravans
must be fitted with an automatic self-closing device.
5. Automatic top-up systems using a float valve fed from
a potable water source to supply swimming pools and
garden ponds is not allowed.
Water Sewage & Effluent July/August 2018
9
•
•
•
innovations
•
Changes most relevant to the public include the following:
• Landlords must now keep record of consumption for
each residential unit in a multi-tenant complex / block
of flats and inform the City if contraventions of water
restrictions are taking place.
• New developments must install water conservation
and demand management systems, or alternative water
systems, and these must be approved by the City before
development proceeds.
• The City’s oversight of plumbers has been strengthened
by allowing the City to not only remove plumbers from
•
its register but institute legal action if they are found to
have transgressed the Water By-law.
Updates have been made to align the by-law with new
legislation, standards, and technical specifications.
A prepayment meter is now an option as a Council
water meter, in addition to the water management
device (WMD). While this technology is not yet at a
stage of development for uptake by the City, having
this item of legislation in the by-law allows the City to
make use of it in the event that it becomes appropriate
and necessary.
Potable (drinking) water storage tanks must be
impervious to sunlight to prevent the growth of bacteria.
No cross-connection must exist on private property
between potable and non-potable water systems.
No irrigation of gardens is allowed between 09:00 and
18:00, including from boreholes and wells. Previously, no
irrigation was allowed between 10:00 and 16:00 and did not
include borehole water. Watering gardens in the heat of
the day can result in significant water lost to evaporation.
Maximum capacity for toilet cisterns and shower-head
flow has been lowered. Toilets are now only allowed
a maximum six-litre cistern volume (down from nine
litres), and water from shower heads must flow out at
no more than seven litres per minute (down from 9.5
litres per minute).
All pools must be fitted with a cover to avoid
evaporation when not in use.
O
n 31 May 2018, Council voted to approve a number of
proposed amendments to the Water By-law. These
changes were aimed mainly at improving clarity, as
well as preparing the City for a more water-s carce future.
This amendment does not replace the Level 6 water
restrictions. Rather, water restrictions are implemented in
addition to this by-law, when necessary.