But, it has come at a cost.

With little chance of substantial rain on the horizon and reduced river flows MidCoast Council has been forced to introduce moderate water restrictions from this Monday, February 11.

"Due to hot and dry weather, water restrictions are often necessary at this time of year in the Mid Coast," water services director, Brendan Guiney said.

"Whilst holiday visitors can increase the demand for water, our trigger levels are actually based on flows in the Manning River,” Mr Guiney said.

“Whenever the river is flowing well we can easily keep our dam storage full right through the summer season, when rainfall is following usual patterns.

“Restrictions are required when the flow of our rivers drop to a level we are unable to pump from.”

Mr Guiney refuted the claim council often introduced restrictions after the holiday period to allow tourists the benefit of unrestricted water used.

“This is not the case – the timing is due to the climate and river flows,” he said.

“One or two recent storms in January maintained river flows otherwise we would have had to apply water restrictions sooner.”

Flows in the Manning River have dropped, and as a result the water supply for the Manning and Great Lakes areas are drawing on supply from the Bootawa Dam.

The rivers providing water to the supplies in Gloucester, Stroud and Bulahdelah also are at low levels.

From Monday residents can water outside using hand-held hoses for one hour every second day before 9am or after 4pm. 

Garden irrigation systems may only be used for 15 minutes as part of the one hour allocation.

Households with an even number can water on the even days, while houses with odd numbers can water on the odd days of the month.

However, there is no watering at all on the 31st day of any month.

This includes topping up backyard swimming pools.

In addition, use buckets, with trigger hose rinsing for washing cars and boats.

If possible, always wash vehicles and flush boat motor engines on grassed areas - this will help keep your lawn alive.

Outdoor cleaning of driveways, paved areas, windows, walls and roofs should all be undertaken using buckets only.

The restrictions apply to households, businesses and public areas.

Council also will be restricted from watering parks and public areas.

"In the past, we've experienced great support from our community when water restrictions are in force, and the community’s support has made a real difference and has been appreciated."

Council is in the process of commissioning the new Nabiac Inland Dune Aquifer System, which will be used to supplement the Manning River water supply, providing water to customers in the Manning and Forster-Tuncurry areas.

This will assist with water security for the Manning Scheme by reducing reliance on the Manning River.

Visit the MidCoast Council website for more information