WaterNSW says it wants to work with customers to conserve water. 

WaterNSW is urging its customers to estimate their water orders as accurately as possible to extend the supply from the state’s major dams as dry conditions cut inflows and an El Nino summer looms.

In regional NSW the total dam volume is at 87 per cent of capacity, representing strong water security, but dam inflows have fallen markedly in 2023, especially in the central and northern inland zones.

The comparatively dry conditions mean that there has been much less rainfall across the catchments, and what rain does fall is absorbed by the dry soil and less likely to generate run-off into dams.

WaterNSW General Manager water planning and delivery, Ashley Webb, says WaterNSW has fine-tuned its dam water releases to maximise water availability for farmers, communities and the environment.

“A critical component of this success has been our customers’ ability to be precise with estimating their water requirements, and that cooperation will be critical as we move into an El Nino summer predicted to be hot and dry,” he said.

While dam storage levels across NSW are currently very high, Webb says “it does not mean that we should be complacent”.

“Our preparations also include developing 14 drought management plans across all regional river valleys, implementing new tools to monitor evolving drought conditions, and continuing to focus on the efficiency of our dam operations.”

WaterNSW says the community can use digital tools to track storage levels through its WaterInsights interactive online tool.