RESIDENTS and businesses in the Myrtleford community are being urged to continue to do what they can to reduce water use, especially on gardens and lawns, to help stave off any mandatory water restrictions.

North East Water general manager of environment, systems and operations, John Day, said community efforts to reduce daily household water use over the past month - from 590 litres to 505 litres - was achieved on 19 of the past 28 days.

"While we’ve seen some reductions in water use, usage only really dropped after rainfall, which suggests most town water is used outdoors," he said.

"Recent rainfall has provided some short-term relief and slightly boosted our storage levels, however, this improvement is only temporary.

"Myrtleford’s water storage continues to be its lowest level on record, even lower than during the Millennium Drought.

"If current water use continues and we don’t receive significant winter rainfall, formal water restrictions may be necessary in the coming months.

"We’ll be sharing regular updates on Myrtleford’s water storage levels to keep the community informed and highlight the importance of water conservation.”

Rainfall in the past two weeks saw storage levels at Lake Buffalo - where Myrtleford sources its water - rise from 12,200ML (52%) on June 7 up to 13,500ML (57.5%) on June 15.

For more information about Myrtleford's recent water-saving efforts and to access water-wise tips, visit: https://www.waterwise.tips/myrtleford