FORECASTED rainfall of 25mm in the Macleay over the next few days should bring a degree of relief for farmers blighted by drought conditions.
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Stage 3 water restrictions have been in effect across the Kempsey shire since Tuesday, as the council seeks to avoid over-consumption.
Council’s Infrastructure Services director Robert Scott said the Steuart McIntyre dam level was at 64 per cent, up from 60 per cent last week.
“We’ve been pumping water into the dam from the Sherwood borefield,” Robert Scott said.
“It’s always good to have more in the dam.
“The river flow level is at 40 megalitres, after a low a week ago of 37 megalitres.
“It rained at Armidale on Australia Day and the last of that is passing through the catchment.”
Mr Scott said water consumption was close to the 8.5 megalitres per day target the council was seeking. and he hoped it would decrease to 7 megalitres.
There had been a lot of queries from the community regarding water restrictions, he said.
“We’ve had calls about how and when the restrictions apply,” Mr Scott said.
“We’ve also been asked what it means for our coastal villages.
“They’re not fed off the Sherwood bore and the dam, but from the coastal aquifer system.
“Over-consumption can lead to saltwater intrusion there, so we have to manage output.”
Mr Scott hoped the forecasted rainfall would prevent the situation deteriorating further and might even improve the water levels.
“We’ve been confident of about an inch of rain over the weekend and early into next week," he said.
“It would be good, more so for the rural community than the urban community.
“It could make all the difference to get rain around Walcha and Lower Creek.
“Farmers are struggling and we’ve even seen cattle grazing on the road (in the Upper Macleay).
“It resembles a brown bowling green on the tableland.”
