SO WE ARE IN A DROUGHT...YOU AINT SEEN NOTHIN' YET.....

[ramblingboy42]

Very interesting times ahead methinks , with already low water levels in many dams and as everyone knows , many rivers are drying up or have already dried. Be prepared for water rationing in the not too distant future.
Weather News - The long road to drought (https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/the-long-road-to-drought/529729)

[JDNSW]

Very interesting times ahead methinks , with already low water levels in many dams and as everyone knows , many rivers are drying up or have already dried. Be prepared for water rationing in the not too distant future.
Weather News - The long road to drought (https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/the-long-road-to-drought/529729)

As far as I am aware the only town in this area that has not had water restrictions for at least the last year is Dubbo - and they were to have a council meeting about it today. Some towns are on severe restrictions - Mendooran I think is still on level 6, which is very stringent. Some towns have looked like running completely out of water, but I don't know of any that are having it trucked in yet, but some towns have the available water so unpalatable that various charities are trucking in bottled water for drinking and cooking.

[Bearman]

We haven't seen a really bad drought in white mans history in this country yet. A friend of mine used to work in CRC reef research at JCU years ago when they were doing coral core sampling of the reef out from the Burdekin river. From the sediment stains in the cores they can tell how much flow the Burdekin had during the wet seasons. Apparently the river had not flowed for 10 years around 1770 when Cook was here and that is something unheard of in our history. Even in what we know as drought years there is still flows from the feeder rivers behind the north coast. I remember in my school days being taught how Cook had trouble finding water on the east coast. Hopefully we will never see one as bad as that.

[Kaps]

It's very damp here in the lower south east.

Wet in central Australia according to Weatherzone Weather News Story >> Weatherzone Mobile (http://m.weatherzone.com.au/news/529727)

And remember this earlier this month? Weather News, Weather Updates, Breaking Weather - Elders Weather (https://www.eldersweather.com.au/news/cold-bites-early-in-southeastern-australia/529691) It brought lots of rain. A early taste of winter.

[JDNSW]

It's very damp here in the lower south east.

Wet in central Australia according to Weatherzone Weather News Story >> Weatherzone Mobile (http://m.weatherzone.com.au/news/529727)

And remember this earlier this month? Weather News, Weather Updates, Breaking Weather - Elders Weather (https://www.eldersweather.com.au/news/cold-bites-early-in-southeastern-australia/529691) It brought lots of rain. A early taste of winter.

Yes, I remember that weather event. Just over three millimetres. That was good, laid the dust for a day.

[Bigbjorn]

As far as I am aware the only town in this area that has not had water restrictions for at least the last year is Dubbo - and they were to have a council meeting about it today. Some towns are on severe restrictions - Mendooran I think is still on level 6, which is very stringent. Some towns have looked like running completely out of water, but I don't know of any that are having it trucked in yet, but some towns have the available water so unpalatable that various charities are trucking in bottled water for drinking and cooking.

News not long ago was that Walgett was almost out of water and drinking water was being trucked in. There was talk of eventual evacuation.

The Federation drought was on and off with brief periods of almost negligible rainfall for most of twenty years. My grandfather moved to Winton from Charleville when Cobb & Co. won the mail and passenger contract Winton-Boulia-Winton. Cobb relinquished the contact in 1907 as there was insufficient feed available for the horse teams. There was another almost 10 year drought in the 1920's. This was the last stand of the teamsters. No feed and the motor truck took over the freight business. Then again in the 1960's. The infamous Six Year Drought capped by a drop in wool prices knocked the stuffing out of many graziers. Sheep became worthless. A Longreach grazier advertised in Country Life that ha had 3000 sheep he would give to anyone who had grass to put them on and was prepared to come and get them.

[Saitch]

In 2011, Walgett population was 2,500. In 2016 census the populatioin was 6,100. A huge increase in 5 years.
Drought problem or population vs infrastructure?

Both perhaps, with population growth exacerbating the problem?

[JDNSW]

The problem is undoubtedly drought - three is no issue supplying water to the town, regardless of population, as long as the river is flowing. But when it stops flowing........

I am puzzled by the quoted change in population, although I note that one figure refers to the town population, and the other to the shire population, which actually decreased from 6454 in 2011 to 6107 in 2016, so I suspect you are comparing apples to oranges. The shire contains eleven towns and villages spread over more than 22,000 square kilometres.

[Saitch]

The problem is undoubtedly drought - three is no issue supplying water to the town, regardless of population, as long as the river is flowing. But when it stops flowing........

I am puzzled by the quoted change in population, although I note that one figure refers to the town population, and the other to the shire population, which actually decreased from 6454 in 2011 to 6107 in 2016, so I suspect you are comparing apples to oranges. The shire contains eleven towns and villages spread over more than 22,000 square kilometres.

Sorry, John, you're quite correct. The information I had, with the figures, used different references.
:bangin:

[Bigbjorn]

Wikipedia says Walgett town population is 2100, and just more than half are aboriginal.

Last December-January the Namoi and Barwon at Walgett were dry. Any change since then? The bore water is unsuitable for human consumption and considered damaging to crops. There was talk of building a desalination plant to treat the bore water, or trucking in a portable desalination plant.

Quite some time ago a NSW copper told me Walgett was considered a punishment transfer for coppers who had been a bit naughty or offended their superiors. "Send him to Walgett. A couple of years fighting drunk abos will knock the cheek out of him". The town is reputed to have the largest police station and lockup in Country NSW. Is this true?

[Eevo]

what is drought?

in the Saharan is it drought or is it normal?
maybe its normal for Australia too?

maybe instead of average rainfull, we need to be look at reliable rainfall.

[austastar]

Hi,
The fortifications on the retail establishments are near military grade.
Had a chat to a lass in the info center while we were there. She was busy cleaning the floor and stoped to greet us cheerfully, and was very knowledgeable about the surrounding areas.
The accent had me foxed for a while, till she revealed she was from Kenya.
Most other locals seemed rather sullen.
Not a place I would choose to stay over night.
Cheers

[JDNSW]

Wikipedia says Walgett town population is 2100, and just more than half are aboriginal.

Last December-January the Namoi and Barwon at Walgett were dry. Any change since then? The bore water is unsuitable for human consumption and considered damaging to crops. There was talk of building a desalination plant to treat the bore water, or trucking in a portable desalination plant.

Quite some time ago a NSW copper told me Walgett was considered a punishment transfer for coppers who had been a bit naughty or offended their superiors. "Send him to Walgett. A couple of years fighting drunk abos will knock the cheek out of him". The town is reputed to have the largest police station and lockup in Country NSW. Is this true?

The rivers are still dry, I believe. What they have done about water is a new bore, and got a new analysis that says the water is suitable for human consumption, although not recommended for your dialysis machine etc. I understand the crime rate in the town is down somewhat.

[Graeme]

Yes, I remember that weather event. Just over three millimetres. That was good, laid the dust for a day.
We got a very useful 42mm although up until nearly midnight I thought the 3mm that we had the day before was all were would get. Lupins and canola were dry sown but wheat was all sown into moisture with half it now up and looking forward to some showers next week to finish germination.

[ramblingboy42]

Having just recently been in Walgett I was a bit surprised by the 6,000 population figure, but then saw it is the district. I don't think all 11 of them are really towns but I love Australia's 12,000 towns......just don't blink as you go through.

If it has a pub , stop , have a chat , have one beer or perhaps 2 with a countery.

I love this country like I loved my mum.

[Bigbjorn]

The rivers are still dry, I believe. What they have done about water is a new bore, and got a new analysis that says the water is suitable for human consumption, although not recommended for your dialysis machine etc. I understand the crime rate in the town is down somewhat.

Maybe I am a bit cynical and somewhat distrustful of the bureaucracy. The old bore was 360 whatevers of salinity, and the new one is 306 and NSW Health has decreed this is potable just not not for the very young, the sick, the persons with heart and kidney disease and so on. The Australian standard is 180 whatevers of salinity for human consumption. So if you find yourself going to Walgett take your own drinking water. Just like the third world and much of Europe.

[ramblingboy42]

It's very damp here in the lower south east.

Wet in central Australia according to Weatherzone Weather News Story >> Weatherzone Mobile (http://m.weatherzone.com.au/news/529727)

And remember this earlier this month? Weather News, Weather Updates, Breaking Weather - Elders Weather (https://www.eldersweather.com.au/news/cold-bites-early-in-southeastern-australia/529691) It brought lots of rain. A early taste of winter.

are you suggesting there is no drought?

[JDNSW]

I think it depends on where you are!

[Kaps]

are you suggesting there is no drought?
What? No new facts to support your argument. Instead you turn to attacking the messenger.


Brrr... It's cold and wet here. Raining as I type.
Cold blast hits Australia’s east coast, temperatures set to plunge to -4C | Daily Mail Online (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7073301/Cold-blast-hits-Australias-east-coast-temperatures-set-plunge-4C.html)

All I hear on the news, and on here, is "Australia is in drought".
Well, no, parts of Australia are in drought. Not all.
Droughts are common in Australia. Who hasn't heard of the Federation Drought or the Millennium Drought?
1996 to 2009 we had one here. Parts of NSW and Queensland are currently in one that started about 2013.

Someone sent me this snippet in an email The journals of Captain James Cook and Joseph Banks are peppered with references to the scarcity of water during their four-month visit. "For the whole length of coast which we sailed along there was a sameness to be observed … Barren it may justly be called and in a very high degree … so barren [it] could not be supposed to yield much towards the support of man". The crew was forced to replenish freshwater supplies from standing pools rather than from flowing streams. However, Banks also recognised that Australia was a land of extremes: on a number of occasions he noted erosion that could only have resulted from dramatic floods. "[The country] was most destitute of fresh water, probably that was the reason why so few inhabitants were seen: it seemed to be subject to a severe rainy season, so at least we judged by the deep gullies which we saw had been plainly washed down from the hills of a small height".
So, there was a drought up the east coast of Australia in 1770. There have been lots of droughts in regions of Australia in the past 250 years. Who knows how many there were before then?

[JDNSW]

Rained yesterday 1.5mm! And as I write it is 4C, promising 15C maximum, so the cold change is here. But no significant rain.

[Tote]

A couple of pictures taken in the Warren / Nevertire area this week. Sorry about the stupid sideways apple photos.

151414

151415

Regards,

Tote

[mick88]

Here in the NW corner of Vic we have had 55.4mm so far this year, according to Elders Weather, and 45.8 of that has fallen this month (May).
Our own figure for the year is less, at only 43mm.
There is no doubt about it, we are in dry times here.


Cheers, Mick.

[ramblingboy42]

Weather News - Sydney water restrictions in effect from Saturday (https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/sydney-water-restrictions-in-effect-from-saturday/529751)

[JDNSW]

So has Dubbo - many have asked "why did it take this long?", but Dubbo has secure 'drought proof' water supplies from both the Macquarie River and from bore fields, and the river allocations have still not been restricted by Water NSW.

[travelrover]

We are on a property in the Haweksbury valley north west of sydney and our eastern boundary runs along Howes Creek. This has not flowed in more than 2 years. It had some largish pools for a while but nothing now, completely dry. Our dam is dry but our tanks are almost full. 2 and half years ago the creek was two feet over the road and roaring down to the Haweksbury River. And since that time I don’t recall any good soaking rain, the odd heavy downpour but nothing very useful for the country. We have lost many immature trees and shrubs and even the 100 plus year old eucalypts are not looking very health with a lot more than usual limbs dropping. The understory plants just don’t seem to be as abundant or healthy either.

The bird life has reduced significantly. Particularly nightjars which used to be everywhere, but we are seeing some bird species that we have not seen here before. Not sure the significance of this..

[trout1105]

Weather News - Sydney water restrictions in effect from Saturday (https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/sydney-water-restrictions-in-effect-from-saturday/529751)

We have summer water restrictions EVERY year in WA, This includes regional areas as well as Perth.
Why this hasn't been done Australia wide in Summer beggers belief, Especially in NSW.

[JDNSW]

Sydney in particular, has to have very large water storage compared to usage, simply because the rainfall on the catchments is so irregular, with multiyear droughts interspersed with periods of above normal rain. (When I was at Uni we were told that they aimed to maintain a reserve of ten years normal consumption - with population growth in the last sixty years, I doubt this has been possible, although I believe the level of Warragamba is being raised, which represents a very big increase in volume.) Because of this, there seems little point in restricting water use most of the time. Sydney Water introduces restrictions when dam levels drop to 50%. which they are about to, and toughen them at 40%.

Some other towns are in similar positions, especially those on rivers that are major suppliers of irrigation water, and the town use is so small compared to irrigation offtake that restricting it seems a bit silly until the irrigation offtake is restricted (as at present for most rivers in NSW).

[Don 130]

Weather News - Sydney water restrictions in effect from Saturday (https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/sydney-water-restrictions-in-effect-from-saturday/529751)

They said on the morning radio today, that the inflow to the catchment up to now is the lowest it has been for forty years.
Don.

[Kaps]

As I sit here listening to the rain **** down on the roof I'm reading an article on Walgett.
Fish flow release brings heart to communities along the Barwon | The Land (https://www.theland.com.au/story/6218124/northern-fish-flow-sees-walgett-weir-run-over-for-first-time-in-a-year/)

It is late. I m tired. Please can someone say I am reading this right. The Barwon river is now flowing through Walgett. This was because someone let some water out of the Copeton Dam. So, the water crisis in Walgett was man made.

[JDNSW]

Perhaps more accurately "man-assisted" If the dam had not existed, the river would have flowed higher, but the dam holding back water when there was a lot of it would have meant it could be kept flowing longer - and probably was. But there will always be arguments about when to release water that surface during drought.

[350RRC]

I'd be very happy to share some of the moisture in my paddock (in the middle of the Bellarine) with anyone who needs it.

It was super dry here up until the weather broke in May and now I have the opposite problem trying to organise a garlic crop. Half the paddock is a total bog hole.

There is a N/S strip up the middle of the peninsula that has had way over the monthly average this month and last, including 60mm in half an hour in May.

Another damp one today.

take care, DL

[trout1105]

So far so good here in WA with another good cold front coming in which should give us better than average rainfall for June[thumbsupbig][bigrolf]

[Bigbjorn]

As I sit here listening to the rain **** down on the roof I'm reading an article on Walgett.
Fish flow release brings heart to communities along the Barwon | The Land (https://www.theland.com.au/story/6218124/northern-fish-flow-sees-walgett-weir-run-over-for-first-time-in-a-year/)

It is late. I m tired. Please can someone say I am reading this right. The Barwon river is now flowing through Walgett. This was because someone let some water out of the Copeton Dam. So, the water crisis in Walgett was man made.

I had nearly forgotten how small many of those western "rivers" are. The Barwon at the weir appears to be about 12 metres wide. In North Qld. it would be mistaken for a cane drain. I remember as a schoolboy seeing the Lachlan at, I think, Forbes and thinking "Gee, it is just a bit of a creek."

[Landy Smurf]

I live in Barraba, NSW. We have only had 50mm this year.
I was at Coonamble last year and they had about the same for the year.
I think it is time I move to the tropics or England

[JDNSW]

We've had nearly 130mm so far this year - but 100mm of that fell in January and March, and was immediately followed by very high temperatures and near gale force very dry winds, so the rain did almost nothing. There has been no "run off" rain since January 2017, so most of the dams round here are dry or nearly dry.

[scarry]

We have 13 out of thirteen dams on the property near Noondoo,SW Qld with no water at all.

Luckily there are a few bores,supplying troughs and the homestead.

The Dorpers are struggling,only the healthy ones are surviving,marinos need feeding.

Many kangaroos are dying,as well.

No wheat again this year,even if there is good winter rains.Often there are winter storms,but none the last couple of years.

No good summer rains for the last 5 yrs.

The locals recon it’s worse than 1965,which is the worse drought in the area that most can remember.

Quite a few pigs about,well fed on carcasses,and drinking from the troughs[bigsad]

Not much bird life about,either.

[DoubleChevron]

Yeah drought .... This is me last night trying to cut a dodgy 'V' drain across my yard to clear the storm water away from the house.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=152121&d=1561008067

I was incredibly lucky to get the tractor back out of there. You can't pull the front wheels out of the trench the rears are digging to get back onto solid ground.

[JDNSW]

.....

Many kangaroos are dying,as well.

....

Yes, seen that around here as well, for the first time in the 25 years I've lived here.

One neighbour planted on the strength of the 17.5 mm in May, but I'm afraid he has done his dough. Some came up, but between his merinos (which he has now sold) and the roos, its pretty much bare ground now. He has been spending tens of thousands to feed his breeding cattle, but they are looking a bit poor.

My other neighbour reckons his dorpers are hanging on OK, and I have to say they don't look too bad, but I don't see what they are eating!

[scarry]

Yes, seen that around here as well, for the first time in the 25 years I've lived here.

One neighbour planted on the strength of the 17.5 mm in May, but I'm afraid he has done his dough. Some came up, but between his merinos (which he has now sold) and the roos, its pretty much bare ground now. He has been spending tens of thousands to feed his breeding cattle, but they are looking a bit poor.

My other neighbour reckons his dorpers are hanging on OK, and I have to say they don't look too bad, but I don't see what they are eating!

The worse thing about the roos dying is some seem to do it right next to the homestead,i don't know why,maybe the grass is a little bit better there.

The Dorpers eat the leaves off the trees they can reach, and shrubs,and branches and things.They are a pretty hardy animal,and nice eating when in good condition.

I was speaking to one of the neighbours a while back,and they saw a Wedgie pick up a new born Dorper,lift it about 100ft into the air and drop it,they recon to kill it.They have never seen that ever before,and have been sheep farming for 35yrs.

[JDNSW]

Yes, the dorpers are probably eating shrubbery - that place is about 50% bush, although some of that is dying as well.

As for the roos round the house, I have them on the house 'lawn' almost every morning and evening (especially since losing my dog), although it is nearly all rocks now.

[DiscoMick]

Brisbane is still reasonably green, but its a 'green drought':

Jan-June 2019 345.4

Jan-June 2000-2017 average 610.9

So basically we've had about half the average rainfall.

[scarry]

Brisbane is still reasonably green, but its a 'green drought':

Jan-June 2019 345.4

Jan-June 2000-2017 average 610.9

So basically we've had about half the average rainfall.

Yes it is still very dry at our place,which is in Logan as well.

i was helping one of my sons dig footings for posts for a new chook pen,in the Brookfield area,and the ground down 500mm is very dry.