1 July 2011
Thomson Dam Delivers in Stellar First Half of 2011
Melbourne’s storages have extended their strong recovery during the first half of 2011, with a net gain of almost 50 billion litres.
The significant increase is one of several milestones reached during a positive start to 2011. The massive Thomson Dam, which dropped to a record low of 16% two years ago, led the recovery to reach 40%.
Manager of Water Supply, John Woodland, said that a clear sign of recovery was the removal of two contingency pumps installed at Thomson in late-2008.
“These pumps were put in to make sure that we could still access the water from our biggest dam if levels fell below 15%. We were able to take them out in May and return Thomson to its normal configuration because its levels are in much better shape.
Mr Woodland went on to say that 2011 has so far proven to be a year unlike any seen for a long time for the city’s catchments.
“This year started off with very unseasonable rainfall and it has set the catchments up extremely well to convert further rain into strong runoff into our dams.
“Storages passed the 1,000 billion litre mark a couple of weeks ago, which is a huge achievement after they fell to 453 billion litres just two years ago.
Mr Woodland said that a cooler, wetter summer contributed to higher inflows and lower daily water consumption than the first half of 2010, but that climate uncertainty means efficient water use remained crucial.
“In the first half of last year Melbourne used about 1000 million litres per day on average, and this year it’s dropped even further to about 970 million litres.
“After suffering through such a harsh drought we’re naturally pleased to be in such a strong state of recovery, but it’s important to remember that these are unpredictable times, climate-wise.
“As well as rebuilding our storages we also need to find ways to increase recycling and use of stormwater,” added Mr Woodland.
This week the Victorian Government announced a rebate scheme that encourages Victorians to purchase water-efficient products. Government owned metropolitan water businesses also launched a community engagement campaign to develop a Water Supply & Demand Strategy today.
Continued signs of recovery – dam milestones in first half of 2011
- Almost 251 billion litres flowed into the four major harvesting storages - the biggest gain since 1970 and double the long-term average.
- Total storages reached 1,000 billion litres for the first time since 2006
- Removal of ‘extreme operation’ pumps at Thomson
Media Contact: Stephanie Julian (03) 9235 1587; 0467 716 182
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