Toowoomba dams reach 40 per cent thanks to rain but more needed to ease water restrictions

Residents might have been drenched by the recent rain event, but not enough of it landed in the Toowoomba region’s catchment area north of the city.

Cressbrook Dam has enjoyed a drink.

Toowoomba’s three main water sources have all enjoyed healthy rainfalls over the past week, but it wasn’t enough to relax current water restrictions.

Perseverance, Cressbrook and Cooby Dams are at a combined level of 40.5 per cent as of Thursday, with the Toowoomba Regional Council expecting more inflows over the coming days.

This was thanks to the unusually early summer rain event, which dropped a combined 330mm on the three dams.

While the current level is up from just over 30 per cent about a week ago, it was far short of what other dams received across the region.

Warwick’s Leslie Dam, which was nearly empty just a few years ago, is now at 100 per cent capacity thanks to the recent rain.

Water and waste chair Councillor Rebecca Vonhoff said while the rain was welcome relief, water restrictions were unlikely to change any time soon.

“The dam levels are still rising, but we haven’t had the falls that other areas have had — I’m sure people had hoped we’d get more,” she said.

“We keep optimistic of a wet summer, but hope isn’t a strategy.

“With water restrictions, there’s no talk of increasing water restrictions.

“It’s imprinted on us, we conserve water because we understand — we don’t make knee-jerk reactions with water restrictions.”

Water and waste portfolio leader Councillor Nancy Sommerfield said she was hoping to see more rain in the coming weeks.

“I’m really pleased it’s at 40 per cent this morning, but we do need more — we’ve got to keep getting that water in the dams,” she said.

The Bureau of Meteorology hasn’t forecast rain in the coming weeks for the catchment areas, but meteorologist Livio Regano said a wet summer has been predicted.

“The rain we just had was most unusual, to have something so early in the year,” he said.

“For a lot of places it was the wettest November since 2010, for a handful it was the wettest ever.

“We’re in a La Nina now, so the odds are favoured for more rain.

“We don’t have any dry days ahead, every day is a potential event but they are not high numbers.”

Originally published as Toowoomba dams reach 40 per cent thanks to rain but more needed to ease water restrictions