The restrictions, which are the second-highest on the state’s six-level scale, prohibit the watering of lawns and gardens, the washing of cars, the filling up of pools and any unnecessary water usage.

There is only a brief timeframe on Sundays, between 6pm and 8pm, where plants can be watered by bucket.

The move has been put in place by the Upper Hunter Shire Council with the aim to reduce water usage by 70 per cent, which will hopefully see the town through summer.

Though stories of the town’s tenuous water supply seems to be that of a broken record, according to Murrurundi local, Fran Wachtel.

Fran says the feeble water situation needs to be dealt with, preferably before the proposed completion date of the Scone to Murrurundi pipeline in 2020.  

“The Scone to Murrurundi pipeline was proposed three years ago, and $14 million was approved for the project,” Fran says.

“Since then, nothing has been done and it seems that Murrurundi’s tenuous water situation has been forgotten.”

It’s proposed that the pipeline will provide Murrurundi with a secure water source, from Lake Glenbawn to Murrurundi reservoirs. 

“Currently we have 80 per cent water in Murrurundi’s dam, but nothing is being done in fear of an algal bloom,” Fran says.  

Back in 2014 the water in Murrurundi’s dam was rendered undrinkable by algae, so it’s not an unfamiliar story.

The main issue for Fran is the lack of preventative strategies being taken in order to reduce such risks, and the continual approval of other projects that are prioritised ahead of the issue at hand.  

“I have been a resident of Murrurundi for the past 25 years, and there have been constant problems with algal blooms and water restrictions,” Fran says.

“We need to start taking proactive approaches to prevent algae blooms, and by doing that Council will be investing in our town’s future.”

At the time of the restrictions announcement, Upper Hunter Shire Mayor Wayne Bedggood said the “good news is that, in a few years, Murrurundi will have plentiful water”.

 “Over many decades Murrurundi residents have shown extraordinary resilience when the Pages River has run dry and water restrictions are in place,” he said.

“The bad news is that water usage is still too high for the available water supply.”

Murrurundi water is currently being drawn from both the Murrurundi Dam and directly from the Pages River bed, before being treated. To meet the requirements of the water restrictions, Council is trucking water from Scone to top up the Murrurundi public pool.