Buckets of savings
LAST week’s deluge will save ratepayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in the short term by delaying the pumping of water from the Burdekin Dam until at least September.
Ross River Dam was sitting above 22 per cent yesterday, giving Townsville a decent buffer before the council turns on the pumps at a cost of $ 34,000 per day.
And council will not be lifting the water restrictions from the current Level 3, with forecasters not predicting anywhere near the same amount of rain to fall again before this year’s wet season.
Townsville Water and Waste Committee chairman Councillor Paul Jacob said water restrictions would not be lifted and reminded the community to be mindful of their usage.
“We definitely won’t be lifting the restrictions from Level 3,” he said.
“We’re currently between 22 and 23 per cent at the dam, in a very similar position to this time last year.
“We ended up pumping in September last year, but we will be staying on Level 3 and hoping the community can stick to that target megalitres per day.
“It’s given the community a reprieve for their lawns and gardens because it was very good soaking rain.
“I don’t think there would be too many people picking up the hose for a couple of weeks now, which is much better for us.
“It has put us in a situation where it will be months before we get down to that 15 per cent and need to pump, so we will be saving ratepayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
Bureau of Meteorology, meteorologist Lauren Pattie said Townsville residents could safely hang their clothes on the line, with the city not expecting any significant rain for some time.
“The system from a couple of days ago now has moved off the coast and there is not a lot going on for Townsville this week,” Ms Pattie said.
“The best chance of seeing a shower will be on Tuesday, mainly along the coast.
“But again most people won’t see that ... it will just be extra cloud around for the day.
“It will be nice fine weather … but there is another chance of seeing a bit of rain on Saturday.” of