Storages plunge as rain dries up

Hamish Heard
The region’s storages have plunged below 30 per cent capacity less than a week before Barwon Water’s board decides whether to ease or tighten restrictions.
The fall in storage levels follows a summer of below-average rain and almost none in the first half of March.
Geelong Weather Services meteorologist Lindsay Smail said Barwon Water would be foolish to ease restrictions.
Less than two millimetres had fallen in Barwon Water’s catchment area this month, just a fraction of the March average of 30mm, he said.
“If we based our predictions on the rainfall for the past three months they would show we are in dire straits but the predictions are a lot better,” Mr Smail said.
Rain in January and February was exactly half the average of 68mm, Mr Smail said.
But above-average rain during spring combined with water restrictions and an increased capacity at the region’s borefields to leave storages nearly twice as full as the same time last year.
Mr Smail said he doubted Barwon Water would ease stage-four daylight savings restrictions despite forecasters predicting plenty of rain over the next three months.
“If Barwon Water is using the same inputs as I am there won’t be any reason to panic but, by the same token, I think they’d be foolish to relieve water restrictions.”
Barwon Water managing director Michael Malouf would not comment on Mr Smail’s predictions.
Mr Malouf said the board’s decision at a monthly meeting next week would be based on a report detailing “winter and spring rain storage inflows and other variables including climate change”.