OUR SAY | Bore water use is not something to take for granted

There are very few of us able to enjoy the feeling of lush green lawn beneath our feet.

Of course it's a different story for those people who own a bore.

Bores are not subject to council's level five water restrictions, although residents who do not use town water are still asked to use water responsibly.

According to the Bureau of Meterology website, there are more than 100 bores in the urban part of Orange.

If you take a drive around the city it doesn't take long to work out who owns a bore and who doesn't.

In recent weeks we've had several readers tell us about residents who seem very cavalier with their use of bore water.

There's even reports of one elderly chap who stands proudly watering his front lawn every day while all around him his neighbours' lawns have turned to dust.

Of course Orange's state member Phil Donato is correct when he says bore owners are within their rights to use them.

During a recent Orange City Council's water forum, where residents were informed of the latest developments on water infrastructure and storage, the question of bore usage was raised.

One resident asked about the potential implication of bore use on the water table.

She was told bores were outside the council's control and regulated by the state government and advised to direct her concerns to Mr Donato.

There's no ambiguity about where Mr Donato stands: "people put bores in to drought-proof their properties, whether it's for drinking or irrigation, that's a decision they make and I don't have a problem with it".

He encouraged people to do the right thing and display 'bore water in use' signs honestly. However there's no doubt that there's some scepticism out there.

As reader Caroline Chapman told us she'd like council to go check out some of those homes with bore water signs to see that they really do have a bore. "I just drove past a home with such a sign and the residents are watering their garden in the middle of the day! Wasting water and flaunting it,".

Ms Chapman is right.

At a time when most us don't have it, it's probably poor taste to flaunt it.