Rous County Council advises the activation of Level 1 water restrictions are not expected before Christmas, as initially predicted, due to higher than anticipated rainfall in the region during November.
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Drier than average conditions associated with El Nino negatively impacted the Northern Rivers' water supply in September and October 2023. However, recent rainfall during November, coupled with the forecast of further storm events, mean that the need for water restrictions is now delayed.
"However, recent weather patterns do not change the current restriction regime," said Andrew Logan, Group Manager Planning and Delivery, Rous County Council.
"If we experience a dry summer, as predicted by the Bureau of Meteorology, Level 1 water restrictions will continue to be activated when Rocky Creek Dam reaches 70 per cent.
"It is important for the community to know that the most recent advice is that El Nino conditions continue. So, whilst our current conditions have been more favourable, the overarching forecast has not changed and as such we are still encouraging the community to follow water saving advice.
"We understand that it can be tempting to relax water conservation efforts during periods of rainfall. However, we want to emphasise the importance of continuing to conserve water and adopting water saving tips to preserve our supply for as long as possible."
Rous is actively monitoring rainfall data and inflows into Rocky Creek Dam which is currently at 84 per cent. The dam levels are regularly updated and can be viewed on the Rous website - https://rous.nsw.gov.au/water-savings-and-restrictions.
Rous will continue to advise the community of any changes or updates.
"We appreciate everyone's water conservation efforts and encourage our community to continue to use water wisely and conserve water where possible."
