Shoalhaven had water restrictions nine times in 27 years. Its new drought plan keeps its dams full and counts river days instead.

If you live anywhere from Berry to Lake Tabourie, the question of when water restrictions arrive now has a different answer from the one it had last drought. Until this year, the council's report to councillors says, restrictions commenced depending on the level of Bamarang Dam, the off-river storage near West Nowra. Under the plan councillors approved in March, the clock is the river: the plan says When a total of 90 days combined have elapsed where inflow has been below 90ML/day, Level 2 water restrictions shall be triggered (Drought Management Plan, page 21). A second 90 days brings Level 3 and a third brings Level 4, each imposed by the Director of Shoalhaven Water with the chief executive's approval. Days when the river is running higher are not counted, but on the plan's wording they do not reset the count either.

The reason for the change is in Shoalhaven Water's own history. Its consultation page puts it in one line: Current guidelines recommend water restrictions should be needed no more than once every 10 years on average, however the region has entered water restrictions nine times in the past 27 years. (Get Involved Shoalhaven). Shoalhaven Water's stated aim is that the region does not end up there as often. The survey asking residents whether the plan is clear and workable closes on Wednesday 7 October.

Nine restrictions, and an emergency dam used every time

The plan's restriction history table, which it says is incomplete because little historical information has been kept, lists nine periods between February 1998 and February 2020. Two were Level 2, in 1998 and over the summer of 2002 to 2003. Seven were Level 1, the last two in spring 2018 and over the Black Summer of December 2019 to February 2020. Each lasted between about two and a half and four months. Against every one, in the column headed emergency sources used, the table records Danjera Dam.

The plan's opening section sets the standard those nine periods are measured against, the NSW "5, 10, 10" rule: restrictions should not be applied for more than 5% of the time on average and should not be imposed more than once every 10 years on average (page 4). By our count from the table's own dates, the nine periods add to 913 days, about 8.9 per cent of the time between the first restriction on 18 February 1998 and the council meeting on 24 March 2026, and nine periods in a little over 28 years is about one every three years. Seven of the nine were at Level 1, the level the new plan replaces with permanent guidelines; whether the old Level 1 rules match the new guidelines we cannot say, because the old plan's per-level rules are not in the documents we read.

What changes: full dams first, the river second

The report that went to the ordinary meeting of 24 March 2026 describes the old practice bluntly: Previous practice was to extinguish Shoalhaven owned dams to low levels before requesting water releases from Tallowa Dam. (agenda item CL26.57). In the last drought that nearly ran the city dry, the report says (agenda page 76): During the drought and Currowan bushfire in 2019/20 the Shoalhaven had almost exhausted its own water supply. The old protocols, the report says, required the council to draw Bamarang Dam down to 50 per cent before asking for water from Danjera and then from WaterNSW, and there is only 6 weeks supply left at 50% and any system fault (pumps, pipelines) could cause water shortages. That squares with the plan's own figures: half of Bamarang's 3,800 megalitres is 1,900, which at the average demand of 50 megalitres a day is 38 days, or about five and a half weeks. The fire showed the second risk: During the 2019 bushfires Danjera Dam was supplying water for the Shoalhaven and had to be shutoff due to bushfire encroachment stopping field staff from accessing the dam.

The new plan turns that order around. Bamarang is to be held between full and half a metre below its top water level, and when the river falls under 90 megalitres a day the council asks WaterNSW to release from Tallowa only what the city uses that day. Danjera, the 7,660 megalitre storage that backs up the river, is to be kept full: Danjera Dam is only to be used in emergency situations for firefighting or releases, if Tallowa Dam is unavailable due to maintenance or operating issues. (page 20). Even then at least 2,300 megalitres, 30 per cent of it, stays in the dam for aquatic species. In the south, Porters Creek Dam west of Milton is to be conserved once it is drawn down 1.5 metres, to 70 per cent, and kept for peak-season top-ups, firefighting and breakdowns in the supply from the north (page 24).

The report says WaterNSW, which owns Tallowa, has agreed to the change, in writing according to the report, that the releases cost the council nothing, and that keeping Bamarang near full should cut pumping and electricity at the Burrier pump station. Its conclusion: By carrying out the above, the Shoalhaven will secure a sustainable water supply and not enter water restrictions as often. That is the council's forecast, not a result yet: by the consultation page's account the Shoalhaven last had drought conditions in 2020, before this plan. One thing worth knowing about the dam the Shoalhaven now leans on first: the plan notes that In times of drought, water is pumped from Tallowa Dam into the Sydney supply system. (page 14). The Shoalhaven's share is written into the state's water sharing rules, which the plan quotes: Additional releases must be made from Tallowa Dam to enable water to be taken by Shoalhaven City Council under its local water utility access licence. (page 15).

The vote, and two wordings that do not match

Councillors resolved That Council approve the changes to the Drought Management Plan and enact a Water Saving Guideline to align Shoalhaven Water users with Sydney Water and other water utilities who have carried out similar across the state. (minute MIN26.86). The vote was 11 to 2, with Councillors Steele and Kemp against. The report gave visitors as one reason for the change, saying it would eliminate the ever-present confusion that occurs when tourists and visitors descend on the Shoalhaven and are not aware of the restriction status.

Two details in that report read differently from the plan now on exhibition. The report says restrictions come in when river flows are below 90 megalitres a day for 90 consecutive days in total, and that Restriction levels 1, 2 and 3 will commence after each 90 days of less than 90ML/day flow. The plan counts a total of 90 days combined, with higher-flow days skipped rather than restarting the count, and names the three stages Levels 2, 3 and 4, because the permanent guidelines are treated as Level 1. The difference matters: a dry spell broken by a few wet days reaches the trigger sooner under a combined count than under a consecutive one. The plan is the operational document, and we have read the triggers from it. The copy on the consultation page is labelled draft; the page itself says a new plan was adopted in 2026, and we have not asked Shoalhaven Water which wording governs.

What it means at the tap, today and in a drought

Shoalhaven Water's website says the council has implemented permanent water saving guidelines that act as full-time water conservation measures (Water saving guidelines, read 6 October 2026). The report to council is plain that These water conservation measures are not considered restrictions but a guide to better water usage practices. Under them, according to the guidelines summary, you can water lawns and gardens before 10am and after 4pm with a trigger-nozzle hose, sprinklers or a smart system, but not leave a hose running; water new turf and plants at any time for their first 28 days; wash the car on grass; and top up a pool at any time. Letting water run onto roads and paths, overfilling pools and tanks, and hosing down driveways as general cleaning count as waste.

The same summary sets out the steps. At Level 2, garden watering narrows to 6am to 8am and 6pm to 8pm and cars are washed on grass before 10am or after 4pm. At Level 3, garden watering is banned except for new plantings by hand-held hose, cars are washed with a bucket, and paths and buildings are cleaned only with a bucket. At Level 4, new turf watering, pool filling and car washing are banned too, and businesses need a variation from Shoalhaven Water for dust suppression. The plan gives the penalty for wasting or misusing water from a public supply under section 637 of the Local Government Act as $220, and says offenders at Levels 2 to 4 may get a penalty notice rather than a caution.

The survey is not a vote on any of this. The consultation page says Some parts of the Drought Management Plan are not open to change through this consultation including technical drought triggers, water flow thresholds, license requirements and operational responsibilities. What Shoalhaven Water wants to know is whether the plan and the guidelines are clear and practical; the page says the feedback will help it improve how restrictions, exemptions and support are communicated, its summary sheet calls water conservation a shared community effort, and the page's timeline has a communications program designed in late 2026 and rolled out in early 2027. The survey, with a weekly $100 voucher draw, is on the Get Involved Shoalhaven page until Wednesday 7 October. Neither that page nor Shoalhaven Water's guidelines page, read on 6 October 2026, says how many low-flow days have been counted so far.