It was so delightful to get that amazing soaking rain last Friday and Saturday - and everything still so fresh as a result.

I got 44 millimetres at home, and council tells me 53mm fell at Mt Seaview and 25mm in much of Port.

So it was spread all around us and now doing great good on our poor parched land, suffering the worst dry in living memory. More please.

Last week people contacted me concerned that Port Macquarie-Hastings Council was still taking water for use in grading of rural roads.

Having contacted council I am assured firstly, that road authorities continue to have rights to water under law, and secondly, that everything possible is being done to source water from alternative sources.

Practically speaking, roadworks cannot be completely suspended or council would never catch up with the program.

Plus grading cannot be done without water because the surface just turns to dust and corrugations in no time.

The medium term rain outlook is still not good so council is researching other possible water sources, especially reclaimed water.

Council has been using reclaimed water from the Dunbogan sewerage treatment works for the Camden Haven.

Licences for road re-use are also being sought for Kew and Bonny Hills treatment plants once completed.

And an application is being made for re-use from the Wauchope plant.

The hire of extra water carts has been explored but is not feasible, due to distances involved, plus the high demand for private use when it is seriously dry.

Council is also investigating places it might store reclaimed water for short periods in appropriate locations for roadwork use.

Hopefully we will get more rain shortly.

But regardless, I am now assured that council is doing everything possible to continue the road maintenance program, without unnecessarily impacting scarce water sources for other uses.

Cr Intemann's stories from a civic heart are her opinions and not necessarily those of council.