Tweed Shire Council delays Level 3 water restrictions, weekend deluge lifts level of Clarrie Hall Dam
Torrential downpours which swamped the Gold Coast and surrounding areas over the weekend have saved some residents from even tougher water restrictions. Here’s everything you need to know.
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TORRENTIAL downpours which swamped the Gold Coast over the weekend had little impact on southeast Queensland dam levels – but it was a different story over the border.
But the much-needed wet weather has guarded Tweed residents from tough Level 3 water restrictions for now, despite the shire receiving less rain than the Coast.
Clarrie Hall Dam had a welcome top-up, lifting the water level from 68 per cent on Friday to 79 per cent today, and the Tweed River and feeder creeks are flowing well.
Tyalgum and surrounds are on Level 4 restrictions, but that could be lifted by tomorrow after the rain filled the newly refurbished village weir.
Tweed Shire Council said Level 2 restrictions will remain in effect across the rest of the shire, but the move to Level 3 has been pushed back at least 10 weeks.
The council’s manager of water and water Anthony Burnham said: “Falls of up to 180mm in the catchment have given us the reprieve we so badly wanted.
“But we are not out of the woods yet and need good follow-up rain to fill Clarrie Hall Dam.
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“With the height of the Tweed River now at 1.2 metres at Bray Park Weir, we are no longer reliant on releases from the dam to supply drinking water to the community.
“But the rain in the catchment has now stopped and there is no more forecast for this coming week so we are still looking at life under Level 2 water restrictions for some time yet.”
Mr Burnham said much of the rain was soaked up by “thirsty soils”.
It was a similar story over the border – SEQ Water said most rain did not run into dams.
“Because the dam catchments have been extremely dry, much of the rain has been absorbed and did not run off into the dams,” a spokeswoman said.
The Tweed has been facing one of the worst droughts in its history and is drought declared.
Meanwhile, after the downpours over 12 hours from late Friday night, southeast Queensland water grid dam levels had risen 0.8 per cent, from 55.3 per cent to 56.1 per cent by Sunday.
The Gold Coast is one of eight councils in southeast Queensland under a State Government drought declaration.
SEQ Water was planning talks with other authorities about whether the declaration would remain active.
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