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| Wivenhoe Dam |
The state government has no plans to drop the levels of southeast Queensland dams, despite the dams reaching 100 per cent of their storage capacity last week, because a drier summer is predicted.
According to SEQWater, Wivenhoe Dam can store 1.15 million megalitres of drinking water, but can also store an additional 1.45 million megalitres as its flood storage area.
This is equivalent to about 2.5 times the volume of Sydney Harbour.
A recommendation of the Queensland Flood Commission of Inquiry in March was that dam levels be dropped to 75 per cent if a severe wet season was predicted.
However, Water Supply Minister Mark McArdle said it would be wrong to lower the dam levels when the Bureau of Meteorology predicted a drier than average wet season this year.
“Releasing 25 per cent of Wivenhoe Dam's water supply now would be like dumping three years of Brisbane's current water supply when the weather bureau is forecasting drought conditions to return,” he said.
“At the moment, the forecast is not for heavy rain and Wivenhoe Dam's flood compartment remains empty, with space to hold 1.45 million megalitres – up to two times the size of Sydney Harbour.”
Mr McArdle said the Bureau of Meteorology was predicting the El Nino conditions, with its associated increased probability of drier weather, to return later in 2012.
Forecaster David Jones, from the BOM's National Climate Centre in Melbourne, said the current outlook was for lower than average rainfall for most of eastern Australia.
"At the moment we have near El Nino conditions in the Pacific Ocean and it is really moving, if not all of Australia then most, towards probably lower than average rainfall," he said.
"The outlook for the remainder of the year is very different conditions to what has dominated the last two years and more likely than not to be below average, rather than the excessive rainfall totals that we have had over the last two years with the La Ninas."
Dam levels in Greater Brisbane
• Wivenhoe Dam currently sits at 100% capacity, up 4.1% from last week
• North Pine Dam currently sits at 100% capacity, up 0.4% from last week
• Somerset Dam is currently at 100% capacity, no change from last week
• Leslie Harrison currently sits at 99.8% capacity, up 1.1% from last week
• Lake Kurwongbah currently sits at 100% capacity, no change from last week
Dam levels on the Gold Coast
• Hinze Dam currently sits at 95.4% capacity, up 0.8% from last week
• Little Nerang Dam currently sits at 100%, no change from last week
Dam levels on the Sunshine Coast
• Lake Baroon currently sits at 100%, no change from last week
• Ewen Maddock Dam sits at 100%, no change from last week
• Cooloolabin Dam currently sits at 100%,no change from last week
• Lake MacDonald is currently at 100% capacity, no change from last week
• Wappa Dam is currently at 100% capacity, no change from last week
www.BrisbaneTimes.com.au
According to SEQWater, Wivenhoe Dam can store 1.15 million megalitres of drinking water, but can also store an additional 1.45 million megalitres as its flood storage area.
This is equivalent to about 2.5 times the volume of Sydney Harbour.
A recommendation of the Queensland Flood Commission of Inquiry in March was that dam levels be dropped to 75 per cent if a severe wet season was predicted.
However, Water Supply Minister Mark McArdle said it would be wrong to lower the dam levels when the Bureau of Meteorology predicted a drier than average wet season this year.
“Releasing 25 per cent of Wivenhoe Dam's water supply now would be like dumping three years of Brisbane's current water supply when the weather bureau is forecasting drought conditions to return,” he said.
“At the moment, the forecast is not for heavy rain and Wivenhoe Dam's flood compartment remains empty, with space to hold 1.45 million megalitres – up to two times the size of Sydney Harbour.”
Mr McArdle said the Bureau of Meteorology was predicting the El Nino conditions, with its associated increased probability of drier weather, to return later in 2012.
Forecaster David Jones, from the BOM's National Climate Centre in Melbourne, said the current outlook was for lower than average rainfall for most of eastern Australia.
"At the moment we have near El Nino conditions in the Pacific Ocean and it is really moving, if not all of Australia then most, towards probably lower than average rainfall," he said.
"The outlook for the remainder of the year is very different conditions to what has dominated the last two years and more likely than not to be below average, rather than the excessive rainfall totals that we have had over the last two years with the La Ninas."
Dam levels in Greater Brisbane
• Wivenhoe Dam currently sits at 100% capacity, up 4.1% from last week
• North Pine Dam currently sits at 100% capacity, up 0.4% from last week
• Somerset Dam is currently at 100% capacity, no change from last week
• Leslie Harrison currently sits at 99.8% capacity, up 1.1% from last week
• Lake Kurwongbah currently sits at 100% capacity, no change from last week
Dam levels on the Gold Coast
• Hinze Dam currently sits at 95.4% capacity, up 0.8% from last week
• Little Nerang Dam currently sits at 100%, no change from last week
Dam levels on the Sunshine Coast
• Lake Baroon currently sits at 100%, no change from last week
• Ewen Maddock Dam sits at 100%, no change from last week
• Cooloolabin Dam currently sits at 100%,no change from last week
• Lake MacDonald is currently at 100% capacity, no change from last week
• Wappa Dam is currently at 100% capacity, no change from last week
www.BrisbaneTimes.com.au
24.7.12
