SEQ water restrictions to ease ...
The Southeast Queensland dams which supply Brisbane and much of the region's urban area are half full.
The average capacity of the region's three major dams hit 50.017 per cent overnight, the state government said on Sunday morning.
Premier Anna Bligh is expected to announce an easing of water restrictions in the southeast later in the day.
Water consumption will be allowed to increase from a maximum usage of 170 litres per person per day to 200 litres per day.
The allowable half-hour per week of watering with a garden hose will be doubled.
See - Brisbane Times - Water restrictions to ease.
posted by Concerned Ratepayer at 8:07 AM
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Brisbane Times:
Qld water restrictions eases for some
April 5, 2009
Are those dams half full or half empty?
Both, according to Queensland Premier Anna Bligh, who on Sunday took an optimistic view on water-saving efforts but a pessimistic one on the possibility of future water shortages.
As southeast Queensland's three major dams reached an average of 50 per cent of capacity Saturday overnight, Ms Bligh and Natural Resources Minister Stephen Robertson announced an easing of water restrictions in Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan City and some other urban areas of southeast Queensland.
The combined level of the Wivenhoe, Somerset and North Pine dams was under 17 per cent in late 2006.
The dams were last half full in November 2004 and their levels continue to rise.
Ms Bligh said the region would remain classified as in drought until the combined level reaches 60 per cent of capacity, although the water crisis was over.
"With such a large population in the southeast, it only takes a couple of seasons without good rainfall for us to fall very much under that 20 per cent (of capacity)," she said.
The easing from high level to medium level water restrictions next weekend will increase the desired level of household consumption from 170 litres per person per day to 200 litres.
Designated hose-watering times will be doubled to one hour per week, approved sprinklers will be allowed as will cleaning outside areas and motor vehicles.
Good inflows into Somerset Dam have allowed between 12,000 and 24,000 megalitres to be released downstream into the larger Wivenhoe Dam storage and dam levels will rise further.
More rain is also forecast for the catchments in the coming week.
Ms Bligh said it would not effect the possible addition of recycled water into the dams, slated to occur when they again fall below 40 per cent of capacity.
Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale said recent experience with drought had shown the real value of water and patterns of consumption had fundamentally changed.
"It's fantastic the dams are half full, but that doesn't mean we can forget what we've been through.
"We've got to treasure water, value it, and I'm confident if we do that we'll be right for water from now on in," Mr Pisasale said.
1:33 PM, April 05, 2009
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