Sydney Times
Calls for Sydney to save water
Sydney Water is urging people to stay vigilant as water usage spikes by 17 per cent and dam levels begin to fall.
As we head into what is expected to be one of the hottest summers on record, following the driest winter in 37 years, customers are urged to minimise their water use as Sydney faces a potential cycle of restrictions and inevitable drought.With no significant rainfall since November 2022, there has been water depletion across Greater Sydney’s dams, including a six per cent drop at Warragamba.
Warragamba Dam, which supplies the majority of Sydney's drinking water, has dropped to 94 per cent capacity since November 2022, when the dam was last operating at 100 per cent.In the past week, dams have collectively dropped 0.5 per cent.
Olympic Canoeist Jess Fox will front a new campaign to help educate the public that we can no longer rely on rainfall.
“Everyone needs to understand, the future of water depends on all of us. It’s easy to take water for granted, but with a changing climate and a growing population, the time has come for us to tackle demand,” Ms Fox said.
Sydney Water Managing Director, Roch Cheroux, said $30 billion will be spent over the next 10 years upgrading existing networks and infrastructure as part of a long-term operating plan.
"While we are not going into drought next week, we are doing everything we can as an organisation to secure the future of water for Sydney.
"Drought in Australia is cyclic and inevitable, and recent advice indicates we are moving into a phase where rain is expected to hit historic lows over the next 12 months.
"It's not about today; it's about tomorrow; it was only four years ago we experienced one of the worst droughts in history,” Mr Cheroux said.
