Lake Hume very low.

[toetoe]

Went for a drive to Lake Hume yesterday and was shocked with the level of the dam. It is around 3% of capacity and would be a sad sight from the air as would some other dams around the country. I can still remember the water level being around 10' from the bottom of the Bethanga Bridge and to see it now was a real eye opener.

[iceman]

Nice photos!

3%, man that is shocking.

[Omaroo]

Yep - same here at Tantangara Dam, just up from us on the Murrumbidgee through Cooma.... at 12%.

[toetoe]

Not nice at all to see any dam low, especially the farmers dams on their properties.

[Ric]

Nice photo's guy's but those dams are a sad sight. I think we need a lot of rain and soon.
My dam looks like a moon crater.

Cheers

[Omaroo]

Ric - what you see in my photos is probably where Canberra is getting some of their water from. From here it loops up through our place on the 'Bidgee and on to Cooma. From there it continues (after the pumping station) up towards Canberra (following the Monaro) via Cotter. Desperate times I'm afraid.... :(

[ving]

i believe theres naught a drop in george...

dang we need some rain... and recycled water!

[Calin]

I didn't think Canberra was getting any water from Tantangara Dam. Catchment for ACT being used is Corin, Bendora, and Googong. Thought I'd check just to be sure, as attached. As things are getting tougher there is a lot of talk about who is getting what from where, so you might find, if cooler heads prevail that the Tantangara area might share Canberra's supplies in the future, not the other way round.


From way back when we had more water ... 2004 !!!

http://www.abc.net.au/canberra/stories/s1227123.htm

"Being at the top of the Murray catchment, Canberra is under scrutiny by water users downstream. But instead of being criticised by water experts, Canberra's water use and treatment has been praised.

Professor Don Bursill, CEO of the CRC for Water Quality and Treatment, says irrigators use 70% of available water, and 90% of them still use techniques popular during the time of the Egyptian pharaohs.

He says irrigators need to improve to reduce nutrients, chemicals and turbidity flowing back into the Murray.

Aspi Baria of ACTEW Corporation says Canberra uses just 13% of the 490 Gigalitres that flows into the ACT a year, and half of that 65 gigalitres goes back into the system, as treated waste water and environmental flows. In August 2004, they opened a $3 million waste water treatment plant at Fyshwick that supplies irrigation water for parks and ovals.

Aspi Baria says at least Canberra doesn't pump its waste water out to sea, like the coastal cities."

[Omaroo]

Oh! Quite right! Funny - I heard that from a guy who lives right near the pump station in Cooma and is an old resident. Well..there you go!:shrug: