The prolonged hot weather across the region has put more pressure on Riverina Water County Council’s urban water supply.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The council says consumption rises significantly during these conditions as users look to avoid heat-related health issues.
RWCC engineering director Bede Spannagle said the biggest effects of climate change on urban water supply were “the longer hot spells”.
“Similar to what we are experiencing now,” Mr Spannagle said.
“In these weather events, almost two-thirds of our consumption is for evaporative air-conditioners and external watering of lawn and gardens.
“These current conditions increase water demand significantly, and that higher consumption puts our reservoirs and treatment facilities under pressure.
“Rainfall and cooler temperatures significantly reduce this demand.”
These current conditions increase water demand significantly, and that higher consumption puts our reservoirs and treatment facilities under pressure.
- Bede Spannagle, Riverina Water County Council engineer
The majority of RWCC’s water supply is from the regulated sources of the Murrumbidgee groundwater and the storage dams of Blowering and Burrinjuck via the Murrumbidgee River.
Mr Spannagle said that while there had been no problem with these sources in the past, the organisation has an ongoing program of monitoring the groundwater and surface water storage levels.
The main demand mitigation tool RWCC has in place is a permanent restriction on fixed irrigation between 10am and 5pm.
“This ensures water is not wasted through evaporation in the middle of the day,” Mr Spannagle said.
“If demand continues to increase further, further restrictions will be placed on residents to curb demand.”
RWCC’s concerns about urban water supply comes as persistent dry conditions also affect the Murrumbidgee water catchment.
The Murray-Darling Basin Authority watering outlook 2018–19 report states that the dry conditions are set to continue affecting allocations.
Last December, the NSW Extreme Events Policy was released for all surface and groundwater sources in the NSW Murray-Darling Basin.
“There is currently a shortfall in meeting 2019–20 high-priority commitments, but recovery is expected with summer and autumn inflows,” a WaterNSW statement stated in December.
The accessible capacity of the Murrumbidgee Valley water storage is 2632 gigalitres.
However, since 2017, the volume of rainfall stored decreased from 54.3 per cent to 42 per cent in the 12 months to January 2019 based on the Bureau of Meteorology’s data.
Alan Brown, chairman of the NSW Farmers’ Wagga branch, called for more allocations to help the farming sector.
“I’d like to see a review of the entire MDBA plan, particularly the way in which water is allocated to environmental and farming activities,” Mr Brown said.
“The lack of rainfall means a dire shortage of water particularly for summer crops.
“It’s a disaster for the communities that rely on irrigation productivity to generate whole-of-community benefits.”
While you’re with us, did you know that you can now receive updates straight to your inbox each day at 6am from The Daily Advertiser? To make sure you’re up to date with all the Wagga news, sign up here.
