It's unlikely water restrictions will be required in spring. This is according to the 'Water Usage and Water Resources and the Outlook for 2020' report which was issued to councillors at the June 24 ordinary MidCoast Council meeting.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
River flows will remain moderate over the coming months following consistent rain throughout June.
The report revealed decent rainfall and heavy water restrictions resulted in reduced water usage in the Manning scheme in the first five months of the year. This was compared to the average of previous years.
On June 1 2020, water use in the Manning scheme was 20.7 per cent below usage in 2019 and 15.4 per cent below the median use since 2013.
In more good news for Manning residents, the flow of the Manning River at Killawarra had significant rises between February and March.
A measurement taken on June 8 showed Bootawa Dam sits at 100.6 per cent.
The Crawford River storage for Bulahdelah is 23 centimetres above the fish passage and three centimetres above the weir. There is more than 150 days remaining in the on river storage but water quality is poor.
The Tea Gardens aquifer levels are in the medium range.
The Barrington River has started to flow again. There was no flow recorded during December 2019 and January 2020.
The off river storage for the Karuah River (Stroud supply) is 96 per cent full.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology, the Mid Coast area has a 40 to 55 per cent chance of above average rainfall from June to August.
Winter rainfall totals are expected between 50mm and 200mm.
More rainfall is expected on Friday June 26 in Taree, most likely in the afternoon and evening. The daytime maximum temperature will reach 18 degrees.
Partly cloudy conditions with a top of 18 degrees is expected for the weekend. It will be mostly sunny with a slight chance of showers for the start of the working week.
