Yackandandah heeds water conservation call
17 March 2026
North East Water’s call for Yackandandah residents to voluntarily reduce their household water use has delivered positive results.
After an extremely dry summer, low streamflows and rising demand on the town’s drinking water supply, residents were asked to cut back on outdoor water use for four weeks to help avoid the need for staged water restrictions.
General Manager Operations, Systems & Environment, John Day, said the community’s response over the past month has been exceptional.
“While recent rainfall certainly helped, the community’s commitment to saving water was remarkable,” Mr Day said.
“During this period, the daily town target of 700,000 litres was met on all but two days, with usage dropping as low as 257,000 litres. Yackandandah also recorded the lowest per person water consumption of all towns across the north east region.
“It shows that when it matters, the community pulls together — and that small daily changes make a big difference in protecting local water supplies during dry periods.”
Nine Mile Creek, which supplies drinking water to Yackandandah, is still experiencing very low flows. Despite recent rain, conditions across the catchment remain dry, and sustained long term rainfall is needed before streamflows recover.
Mr Day said, “We’re hopeful that more rain will further reduce the likelihood of restrictions heading into the cooler months and encourage residents to remain mindful of their water use.”
“For now, no restrictions are in place, and the Yackandandah community should be proud of its efforts.”
Residents can view the town’s water use results and water wise tips here.