Extremely dry conditions have resulted in the lowest soil moisture deficit on record in the Daylesford and Hepburn region up until the end of May 2025. In response, Central Highlands Water (CHW) will introduce Stage 2 water restrictions across the Hepburn region, including Daylesford, Hepburn, Hepburn Springs and surrounding areas starting from Tuesday 1 July 2025.

For residential and commercial properties, Stage 2 restrictions mean:

  • watering of lawns is not permitted
  • garden areas may be watered using a hand-held hose fitted with a trigger nozzle, watering can or bucket, at any time, on any day
  • gardens areas may also be watered with watering systems, but only on alternate days between 6:00 am to 8:00 am and 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
    • at even numbered properties, or at properties without a number, on even number dates
    • at odd-numbered properties, on odd number dates
    • on the 31st day of any month, at all properties
  • cleaning windows, hosing down hard surfaces, washing vehicles and filling or topping up of pools, and fountains is restricted to certain conditions.

CHW Managing Director Jeff Haydon said the initial lower-level restrictions were being introduced this time of year to raise awareness and alert the community for the need to continue its focus on remaining water efficient.

“We’ll continue to closely monitor our water storages, the community usage patterns, and weather forecasts. Our goal is to lift restrictions as soon as conditions allow, but if dry weather and soil conditions persist, further restrictions may be necessary,” Mr Haydon said.

Daylesford has just experienced its driest summer-autumn period since 1991 (34 years) making this a significant dry period. This has resulted in storages falling to approximately 30%. At the same time last year, storage levels were at 64%.

Daylesford water storage levels at 10 June 2025. (Source: Central Highlands Water)

Historically, water storage levels in the Daylesford and Hepburn region are particularly sensitive to long dry spells due to the size of the catchment and volume of the storages, especially as demand increases during summer and early autumn months. Positively, it has been shown the storages can fill up quickly with good rainfall levels.

“The extended dry conditions have placed real pressure on our water storages. We thank residents, visitors and the community for their ongoing efforts in limiting their water use,” Mr Haydon said.

“By acting now, we can together preserve existing local water supplies and ensure storages can meet community needs until storage levels recover and the current major supply system augmentation works are completed,” he said.

For details of Stage 2 restrictions, see the Central Highlands Water website.

Investing in long-term water security

To secure the region’s future water needs for the next 50+ years, CHW is investing in over $25 million in water infrastructure upgrades. This includes the construction of a 17-kilometre underground raw water pipeline from Blampied to the Daylesford Water Treatment Plant, connecting to the Goldfields Superpipe.

Upgrades to the Daylesford Water Treatment Plant are also progressing, with design and construction now underway. These works are set for completion by mid-2026, reinforcing CHW’s commitment to building additional climate resilience into our water supply system to deliver reliable and high-quality water supply into the future.

This article is based on a media release from Central Highlands Water.