Drought-breaking miracle: Warragamba Dam levels are up over 60 per cent full in just 24 HOURS as ecstatic man films waterfalls flowing into the dam
- Ecstatic man shrieks with joy as water pours down the road to Warragamba
- Dam levels rose from 43.8 per cent to 60.7 per cent full, up by 38.9 per cent
- First time since last August that the dam has been more than half full
- Drought-stricken dam supplies 5.2 million people in Sydney's metropolitan area
A joyful motorist has filmed waterfalls pouring on the road to Warragamba as the dam that supplies Sydney rose to over 60 per cent full in just one day.
The driver, who calls himself Mr Hominoid, filmed water pouring along the side of the road as he drove into Warragamba township east of the Blue Mountains.
'Look, it's a waterfall by the side of the road,' he said excitedly in the video uploaded to YouTube on Sunday.
Warragamba Dam water levels shot up from less than 44 per cent full on Sunday (left) to more than 60 per cent full by noon on Monday (right)
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'It's beautiful, look at it,' he says while laughing, before heading into town to find the bakery.
Australia's east coast received the heaviest downpour in more than two decades over the weekend, pumping water into major dams after years of crippling drought.
The severe storm dumped the most rain since 1998 - 400mm from Friday to Sunday - on Sydney and turned roads into rivers.
Warragamba Dam is the main water supply for 5.2 million people in the greater Sydney region. In more normal times, without too much of a drought, it looks like this
Warragamba Dam in the rain on Sunday still looking very empty at less than 44 per cent full. Video/picture courtesy of Mr Hominoid: hominoidsaustralia@gmail.com
In a separate video, also uploaded Sunday, Mr Hominoid tours Warragamba Dam, the main source of water for the Sydney metropolitan area.
Despite the falling rain, broad sand banks can be seen as dam levels had fallen below 44 per cent after a long drought.
Mr Hominoid said it takes time for the dam to fill.
'Water's got to go in the soil, fill up the soil, run down, and then get all the way down here.'
Fortunately it only took a day to increase the water levels by 50 per cent.
Total water levels across all catchment dams had fallen to 41.7 per cent by last Thursday, WaterNSW said on its website.
Water levels at Warragamba Dam jumped to 60.7 per cent by noon on Monday, with the bulk of the increase coming after 120mm of rain fell in the 24 hours from Sunday morning.
It was the first time since August last year that the dam has been more than half full, WaterNSW said in a press release.
'This is incredible. Yesterday the Warragamba Dam - the biggest in the Sydney area - was at 43.8%. This morning it's at 61.8%. 512,452 megalitres or 512,452,000,000 litres (I think) has flowed in,' wrote David Munk on Twitter early on Monday.
The replenishment of the dam comes as a relief for Sydney's 5.2 million residents who have lived under level two water restrictions since December, limiting how and when they could water their gardens or wash their cars.
It is not yet known when water restrictions might be lifted.
It was feared in December that recent bushfires in the catchment area could contaminate the water supply with ash, and exacerbate erosion if heavy rain were to fall.
WaterNSW said Warragamba dam has the ability to select water for use from different storage depths and was releasing water from 30m below the surface as a precaution.
AUSTRALIA'S WATER STORAGE REVEALED
SNAPSHOT OF AUSTRALIA'S WATER STORAGE (AS OF FEBRUARY 8)
* Storage level of full capacity: 44.4 per cent
* Change since last year: down 6.8 per cent
Warragamba Dam supplies Lake Burragorang - the primary reservoir for Sydney and surrounds
WATER STORAGE FOR CAPITAL CITIES AND STATEWIDE RESTRICTIONS
ADELAIDE:
* Storage level as percentage of full capacity: 48.5 per cent
* Change since last year: down 0.2 per cent
* Water restrictions: 'Water wise measures' replaced restrictions across South Australia in 2010.
BRISBANE:
* Storage level: 57.4 per cent
* Change since last year: down 16.9 per cent
* Water restrictions: None for Brisbane metro area but restrictions for Scenic Rim include using water for outdoor cleaning for only four hours on two days a week and a total ban on sprinklers. Despite rains at the weekend, water still needs to be trucked to Stanthorpe near the NSW border which officially ran out of drinking water in January.
CANBERRA:
* Storage level: 44.7 per cent
* Change since last year: down 18.5 per cent
* Water restrictions: Permanent water conservation measures in place since 2010.
DARWIN:
* Storage level: 54.3 per cent
* Change since last year: down 24.5 per cent
* Water restrictions: None for Darwin region, but the Katherine area has watering restrictions due to the presence of PFAS chemicals.
HOBART:
* Storage level: 56.59 per cent
* Change since last year: down 16.9 per cent
* Water restrictions: Stage 1 in greater Hobart region and Bridport, Stage 2 Coles Bay and Stage 3 Scamander.
Aerial image of Wivenhoe Dam near Brisbane releasing water from its spillway
MELBOURNE:
* Storage level: 62.3 per cent
* Change since last year: up 3.9 per cent.
* Water restrictions: Permanent water saving rules since 2011 across the state, but watering of lawns in Goulburn Valley is banned and other restrictions apply.
PERTH:
* Storage level: 41.2 per cent
* Change since last year: down 5.6 per cent
* Water restrictions: Permanent water efficiency measures were introduced in 2007, including a watering days roster.
SYDNEY:
* Storage level: 41.8 per cent (this increased to 60.7 per cent on February 10)
* Change since last year: down 17.3 per cent
* Water restrictions: Level 2 for Sydney metropolitan area and varying levels for other parts of the state ranging from none to "emergency" level 5 for Tamworth, Moonbi, Kootingal and Walgett - banning all residential outdoor use of treated town or council water.
Source: Bureau of Meteorology
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