Hume Dam down to 62 per cent, the lowest for three years

Hume Dam is sitting at its lowest level for years as a lack of rain in its catchment areas fails to top up supplies and irrigation demand remains strong.

Hume Dam is sitting at its lowest level for years as a lack of rain in the its catchment areas fails to top up supplies and irrigation demand remains strong.

The dam was at 62 per cent this week, after starting the year at 84 per cent, and current releases are about 1230 megalitres a day according to the Murray Darling Basin Authority.

But the releases are so low that large sandbars are emerging in towns such as Corowa, NSW, as the flows slow dramatically.

When full, Hume Dam holds more than three million megalitres, however its current volume available was down to 1.85 million megalitres.

This time last year, Hume Dam was sitting at 91 per cent full.

The saving grace for irrigators and water users, however, is that Dartmouth Dam has held up, still sitting at 94 per cent.

Water allocations for the coming irrigation season will be announced on July 1 and despite the draw down on the major dam, hopes are high for full water allowances.

In a statement from the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Murray irrigators were told they could expect to receive at least 100 per cent allocation despite the dry autumn.