You can water new turf or new gardens at any time for 28 days from installation, following supplier or installer instructions.
Water Wise Guidelines outline the things that everyone in Greater Sydney needs to do to help save water.
Why we have the guidelines
Water Wise Guidelines are the rules of water use for residents and businesses in Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Illawarra. The guidelines help us conserve our drinking water and prepare for water restrictions during drought.
If you see someone deliberately breaking these rules, report water misuse and we will investigate.
What you can do
- Water your garden or lawns before 10am or after 4pm using a hose with a trigger nozzle, a sprinkler or a watering system.
- Use drip irrigation or smart watering systems anytime.
- Wash vehicles or boats with a bucket, a hose with a trigger nozzle or at a car wash.
- Fill a new or existing pool.
What you can't do
- Don't hose hard surfaces (except if cleaning for safety, health or emergency reasons).
- Don't leave a hose or tap running unattended.
What to do in specific situations
The guidelines give residents and businesses some flexibility in different situations.
You can wash building exteriors, including windows, walls, gutters and roofing using a trigger-nozzle hose or high-pressure water cleaning equipment.
You can:
- flush inboard or outboard boat engines using a hose and flushing device
- clean bilges or safety parts on boat trailers using a trigger‑nozzle hose or high-pressure water cleaning equipment
- fill fixed water tanks or water‑soluble chemical tanks on vessels without causing overflow
- rinse a vessel at a public boat ramp or marina for up to 10 minutes after saltwater use.
You can use drinking water at any time if you run a business such as:
- a plant nursery or market garden
- a landscaping, mobile gardening or groundskeeping service
- a water play park or water slide operation.
You can use drinking water:
- to suppress dust when no other suitable water source is available (you must follow incident response guidelines if the dust is hazardous, such as asbestos)
- for pipe jetting, cutting, drilling and tunnelling equipment.
- You can use drinking water any time for public health, firefighting, fire service testing and hazard reduction.
- You can use water any time to cool people or animals.
You can use other water sources
Water Wise Guidelines apply specifically to drinking water.
The guidelines don't apply to:
- recycled water – supplied in parts of Sydney through purple pipes
- greywater – wastewater from your washing machine, shower, bath or sinks
- rainwater – as long as the rainwater tank or dam doesn't contain drinking water
- bore water – some government restrictions apply
- river water – you need to have a licence.
