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A quick look at our water storages

Stephen King, Sunday April 28, 2024 - 12:14 AEST

Given the largely clear skies across the country today, it’s a good opportunity to take a look at the water storages of Australia’s major cities.

While rainfall is obviously a major contributor to the level of major dams, it is not the only factor. Water usage, infrastructure developments and upgrades, and controlled releases also need to be factored in when looking at this data.

Let's start with a national overview. The map below shows the percentage of average rainfall for the year to date. Greens and above indicate above average rainfall while browns and reds indicate below average rainfall.

Year to date rainfall percentages (source: BoM)

The huge areas of above average rainfall across NT and eastern WA are notable; however, these areas don’t provide our major sources of water. For that we need to look closer to the capitals. The eastern capitals Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne have all had slightly above average rainfall so far this year while Adelaide and Perth have had below average rainfall. Perth has only had 9.6mm of rainfall in 2024 following on from its driest six-month period on record (Oct – Mar).

Given that extreme stretch of dry weather, it’s no surprise that Perth’s total dam capacity is at 40.4%, down from 50% at the same time last year.

Perth Metro supply monthly dam volume comparison (source: WAter corporation)

According to WAter Corporation data, this is the lowest dams have been since 2018 but still well above 2017. Given the slow decline of average rainfall over southwest WA, Perth has become more reliant on groundwater and desalinization which you can read about here.

Similarly for Adelaide, SA Water is reporting that the total reservoir level is at 47%, down from 59% at the same time last year.

It’s a different story in the eastern states, however. According to latest information from Melbourne Water, Melbourne’s catchments are at a very healthy 89.3% full, only slightly below 90.3% this time last year. After a string of La Niña summers and a wet El Niño, Melbourne’s catchments remain at their highest levels since the mid-90s.

In Sydney, after the 200mm soaking earlier in the month and on the back of a few wet summers, it’s no surprise that Water NSW is reporting that dam levels are nearly full at 97%.

Finally for Brisbane, after falling to 65.7% at the end of 2023 the soaking rains of the summer have sent catchments soaring to 84.0% full, according to SEQ Water data. The peak in early 2022 coincided with the Brisbane floods where the water level jumped from 70% to nearly full in a matter of days.

Brisbane historical dam storage (source: SEQ Water)

If you would like to know more about the water storage in your city, try some of these links. WAter Corporation (WA), SA Water, Melbourne Water, Water NSW and SEQ Water (QLD).

Story image: Wivenhoe Dam (source: SEQ Water)

- Weatherzone

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