Australian Geographic – July-August 2019

W

ATER MANAGEMENT authorities

in each state and territory send

water level data for more than

300 publicly owned lakes, reservoirs and

weirs to the Bureau of Meteorology

which standardises the information for easy

comparison, both across the country and

across time. This information helps inform

forecasting and decision-making about

management of valuable water resources

and keeps the public well briefed, which in

turn can influence individual behaviour.

It’s obvious from a quick glance that,

with the exception of South Australia,

levels are lower across all states and

territories than this time last year and

overall, levels are at a three-year low.

Tighter water restrictions have recently

been introduced in New South Wales.

WA

52.7%

FULL

NT

74.6%

FULL

SA

87.2%

FULL

QLD

67.7%

FULL

NSW

24.1%

FULL

VIC

43.3%

FULL

TAS

51.7%

FULL

Water view

AUSTRALIA

46.6%

FULL

INFOGRAPHIC

ACT

53.7%

FULL

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

ACT NSW NT QLD SA TAS WA VIC

June 2018 June 2019

PERCENTAGE FULL BY STATE/TERRITORY

REPORTED DATE FOR ALL WATER LEVEL %

12 JUNE 2019

32 Australian Geographic