Outdoors

Under Water Wise Rules, you can use your sprinkler or watering system before 10am and after 4pm any day.  

Under Level 1 restrictions you can use a hand-held hose (with a trigger nozzle) or drip irrigation system any before 10am and after 4pm. You cannot use a fixed hose or sprinkler. 

Under Water Wise Rules and Level 1 restrictions, drip irrigation can be used before 10am and 4pm any day. 

Drip irrigation is a pipe or hose with special low-pressure drip devices that release water slowly, in drips below the ground near the plants root.

Examples include integrated drip lines, drip emitters and weeping hoses (like those made from recycled black rubber tyres).

Soaker hoses are not a form of drip irrigation. Soaker hoses are usually green and spray water.

You can water your garden with a hand held hose before 10am and after 4pm as long as it is fitted with a trigger nozzle. Watering your garden early in the morning, or late in the evening, reduces water loss through evaporation.

You can water your garden with a bucket or watering can at any time.

Sprinklers - an attachment to a garden hose or fixed pipe that can be left unattended to water over a given area. 

Watering system - a fixed or permanent system with either single or multiple watering zones, controlled by a manual tap, electronic or mechanical timer. 

Drip irrigation - a pipe or hose with special low-pressure drip devices that release water slowly, in drips below the ground near the plants root. Examples include integrated drip lines, drip emitters and weeping hoses (like those made from recycled black rubber tyres). Soaker hoses are not a form of drip irrigation. 

Under Water Wise Rules, you can use your sprinkler or watering system before 10am and after 4pm any day. 

Yes. Installing a rainwater tank is a great way to reduce the use of mains water in your swimming pool.  

Rainwater diverters are an inexpensive alternative to installing a tank. They attach to a downpipe and can be used to divert rainwater into your swimming pool.  

In large downpours, you will need to monitor the water level in your pool so that it does not overflow. You should consult a plumber about stormwater diversion.

You can, and windy areas contribute to more evaporation. To reduce water loss, use a pool cover and adjust the landscape around your pool with walls and hedges that create shelter from the wind.

These are an alternative if you don't want to hide your pool water with a cover or blanket.  

The chemical forms a barrier on the water's surface which inhibits evaporation by up to 40 per cent. It can either be added to the pool regularly by hand or by using an automatic metering system.

To avoid water loss from evaporation, avoid watering between 10am and 4pm. Both Water Wise Rules and Level 1 restrictions allow watering before 10am and after 4pm every day.

Make a small dam from mulch and soil to avoid water running off the soil.

Replace struggling plants in autumn with drought-tolerant species. This plant finder will help you choose the best plants for your garden.

An average pool in NSW will lose about 865 litres per week. This amounts to 45,000 litres per year.

Cool season grasses should be left longer in summer but warm season grasses (couch, buffalo) can be kept short.

Kentucky blue, perennial ryegrass, carpet grass and bentgrass are all good quality cool season grasses. For more information about choosing your grass, visit this plant finder. 

Buffalo, couch and hard, tall and sheep fescue varieties are all great quality warm season grasses. For more information about choosing your grass, visit this plant finder.