WaterNSW cuts dam releases ahead of regional rain deluge
4 OCTOBER 2022WaterNSW has cut water releases from key regional dams after cautiously lowering storage levels in recent days in preparation for inflows generated by large rainfall events forecast to cross regional NSW.
The latest advice from the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) is that up to 100-200mm could be expected across much of inland NSW including the Namoi, Gwydir, Macquarie, Murrumbidgee and Lachlan valleys over the rest of the week.
In recent days WaterNSW has been cautiously releasing water to create storage capacity at major dams including Blowering and Burrinjuck in the state’s south, Burrendong and Wyangala in the central-west and Keepit and Copeton in the north-west.
This water has been released by WaterNSW’s dam operators over the past 5-6 days, at rates calculated to create capacity to capture more inflow without adding to flood impacts downstream.
Careful management of regional dam levels in the lead up to the forecast rain events has reduced storage levels as follows:
- Burrinjuck – 93%
- Blowering – 97%
- Burrendong – 118.2%
- Wyangala – 93.6%
- Keepit – 92.5%
- Copeton – 98.8%
As the manager of the state’s major supply dams, WaterNSW works closely with the BoM to monitor weather and flood forecasts and meets regularly with community airspace reference panels in key valleys to communicate its flood mitigation strategy and forward planning.
For more information on dam releases and river impacts:
- Register for the Early Warning Network (EWN)
- Visit WaterInsights for dam levels and releases
- View the BoM website for weather and flood updates
- For emergency information, contact the NSW SES or phone 132 500