Have you turned off your sprinklers?
THE winter sprinkler ban began yesterday and will be in place to the end of August, South West residents are reminded.
The ban extends throughout the entire shires.
Reticulation must be switched off and the Water Corporation can issue fines of $100 if sprinklers are used.
Bores can be operated during this period but only for installation, maintenance, testing or repair - and that must take place before 9am or after 6pm on a rostered water day.
Appropriate use for such purposes is considered to be two minutes per station.
The water-saving initiative, introduced in 2010, conserves 4.5 billion litres of water each year, according to the Water Corporation.
The seasonal ban also applies to ground and surface water licensees that have winter sprinkler restrictions as a condition of their licence - such as local governments, schools, golf courses, government departments, universities, the South West Institute of Technology campuses, major parks and businesses irrigating areas of non-commercial turf, lawn and gardens.
Water Minister Mia Davies said the ban was introduced by the Federal Government because gardens received enough water from winter rainfall and there was no need for additional watering during the cooler months.
