Baroon Pocket Dam, the Sunshine Coast’s main drinking water supply storage, is 92.5% full after receiving 160mm of rain in the past week, but officials are still urging locals to be water wise.
The dam’s water level increased 5% and now holds 56,598ML, with a capacity at 61,000ML.
All water supplies in the region received significant top-ups due to the recent falls, with many spilling over.
South East Queensland’s water supply capacity rose by 3.7% during the week, but is still only 60.3%.
It was just 56.3% earlier this month, the lowest post-summer level since the Millenium Drought, which ended in 2009.
“The rain this week has brought us a bit of drinking water … but we’re now entering the traditional dry season,” Seqwater spokesman Chris Owen said.
“So, it depends on what inflows we see during the next six or seven months.”
“We’re still asking people to be water wise. Everything is green now and the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast dams are topped up, but they are significantly smaller than Wivenhoe (the south-east’s largest dam is only 36.8% full), so we’re still asking people to keep water wise behaviours and wait and see what the weather does over the next couple of months.”
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The south-east water grid connects the Sunshine Coast, Moreton Bay, Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Ipswich, so treated drinking water can be moved from one region to the other.
Mandatory water restrictions kick in when the south-east’s level dips below 50%. It was 35% in 2009.
Mr Owen said people in the region were generally being water wise, with average water use down to 151L per person per day, close to the recommended 150L per person per day.
“Part of that has to do with the rain and people not having to water their lawns and top up their pools,” he said.
The last time mandatory water restrictions were in place was in 2009, at the end of the Millenium Drought, and it proved to be a valuable lesson.
Average water use prior to the drought was 300L per person per day but, after the drought, it dropped to 200L per person per day.
“We have held on to some water conservation habits which has been good,” Mr Owen said.
Meanwhile, an upgrade to Ewen Maddock Dam is almost complete.
The water levels there were reduced in order for the construction to be safely carried out.
“It has been lower than normal during the past year as we’ve been siphoning water out, downstream, to keep it a safe level for construction.”
“That stage of the construction is almost done now so I think we’ll start to see the dam level start to increase, with rain.”
Major Sunshine Coast dams
Baroon Pocket 56,598ML (92.25%)
Ewen Maddock 12,145ML (73.2%)
Lake Macdonald 8787ML (109.6%)
Coolalabin 4983ML (60.9%)
Wappa 4817ML (102.6%)
