11 August 2008
WEEKEND RAIN HELPS TO WET CATCHMENTS
Melbourne’s catchments received an average of about 12mm of rain across the weekend, making a good start to what are traditionally the wettest months of August through to October.
Storages are currently 31.2% full compared with about 37% this time last year. The impact of weekend rains will be clearer in the next few days, as runoff makes its way into reservoirs.
Despite some decent winter rain, reservoir levels have only risen 1.1% (from 30.1%) since 1 June as the catchments themselves recover from a very dry autumn.
During July the catchments received about 14% more rain than the long-term average, but runoff into reservoirs was roughly half the norm because of dry conditions on the ground.
Sustained rain over the weekend represents good news for the catchments as it helps the ground stay wet, and means more rain later in the week is likely to be translated into stronger runoff for reservoirs.
Melbourne Water encourages people to keep saving water, even when it rains, so our storages have the best chance of recovering ahead of the warmer months.
Stage 3a restrictions are in place until at least 30 November 2008. Further details on water restrictions are available by visiting the Our Water Our Future website or by contacting the government water retailers.
Media Contact: Andrew McGinnes +613 9235 7277 +61 (0)403 930 846