Several regional South Aussie towns had their wettest July on record, as rainfall for the state as a whole was up 34.1 per cent above the average, according to the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM).
Marree, Andamooka, Arkaroola Village and Beltana residents got a drenching last month meanwhile rain was below average for parts the South East, Kangaroo Island and Lower Eyre Peninsula.
Despite the increased wet weather, South Australia’s water storage levels currently sit at almost half the level they were this time last year.
The levels sit at 45.8 per cent at the moment, compared to 74.4 per cent last year, according to the BOM stats.
SA Water reassures locals that water supply “remains secure” thanks to the combination and flexibility of its water sources.
SA Water says this sits within “the normal range for this time of year and provides space to store rain that typically falls over the Mount Lofty Ranges in late winter and spring.”
“At the same time last year, reservoir levels were around 75 per cent, as the country experienced an extremely unseasonal wet spring and summer during 2022-23 – elevating levels across our reservoirs for an extended period while creating wetter soil conditions to drive further sustained inflows,” SA Water said.
“We’re currently holding two of our reservoirs at a lower level to enable proactive maintenance on their respective dams and supporting infrastructure, which is also influencing our combined reservoir level.”
Kangaroo Creek today sits at 24 per cent full, while on this day last year, its capacity was at 80 per cent. Meanwhile SA’s largest reservoir Mount Bold is below half of what it held last year, holding 32 per cent at the moment which fell from 73 per cent in 2023.
SA Water says the south’s vastly different climate conditions, with significantly lower rainfall than some eastern states, is part of why the state sits in the bottom two nationally.
“Intensity in the catchments that supply our reservoirs is typically one to three times lower than on the east coast of Australia, which is the primary driver of inflows and subsequent reservoir levels,” SA Water said.
The current reservoir levels sit similar to what was seen in 2019 (48 per cent) and 2020 (51 per cent).
“During the past 10 years, the average combined reservoir level for this time of year is 64 per cent, over which time South Australia has experienced a combination of years with extremely low inflows to our reservoirs, contrasted by years of high inflows such as in 2016-17,” SA Water said.
In addition to its 10 reservoirs across the Mount Lofty Ranges, SA Water also sources supply from the River Murray and the climate-independent Adelaide Desalination Plant.
More News
