Dry outlook for Warwick with Leslie Dam at five-year low
WARWICK could be placed on strict water restrictions by the end of the year, as dam levels drop to their lowest level in five years.
Prolonged dry conditions are taking their toll on Warwick's dams with Leslie Dam dropping to 21% this week.
Connolly Dam is also low, sitting at 59%.
The last time Leslie Dam was at this level was 2010, when the dam dropped below 10%.
The Southern Downs Regional Council has confirmed it will strengthen water restrictions if dam levels continue to drop before the end of the year.
While the town still has approximately three years of water left, the council is urging residents to conserve water heading into summer.
Manager of Water and Waste Water Tendekai Mapeza said water conservation was particularly important when Leslie Dam is close to 15%.
"No matter how full the dams are we need to think about water usage in the long term," he said.
"Water conservation for Warwick will change from permanent to medium level when the water supply reaches 50% of Council's annual allocation from Leslie Dam and 100% of the Connolly Dam supply."
Reader poll
Are you worried about running out of water?
This poll ended on 11 October 2015.
Current Results
Yes
64%
No
35%
This is not a scientific poll. The results reflect only the opinions of those who chose to participate.
This time last year, Leslie dam was more than 35% full - two years ago it was at nearly 80%.
A SunWater spokeswoman said the current Leslie Dam level was below average for this time of year.
"SunWater would welcome any rain or inflows that would improve water supplies for customers," she said.
"The storage was much lower than this in 2005, yet supplies were maintained for high priority users until the dam filled five years later despite minimal inflows."
Long-term weather forecasts from the Bureau of Meteorology don't bode well for dam levels, with a hot, dry summer ahead.
Forecaster Michael Paech said strong El Nino conditions meant the Southern Downs was in for drier and warmer than average weather.
"The outlook is a 60 to 70% chance of higher than average temperatures," he said. "Already we're looking at a warmer than average October - with the average so far at 30 degrees, 4 degrees higher than normal."
Mr Paech said higher temperatures would lead to an increase in water evaporation at local dams.
SunWater is restricting the amount of water released from Leslie Dam, with a medium priority allocation of just 10% for customers.
The bottom 15% of supply from Leslie Dam is guaranteed to the council.
