AS Chaffey Dam finally reaches 100 per cent, people around the region are celebrating, but it could be argued no one is happier about this than those at Tamworth Regional Council (TRC).
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The dam last peaked in October 2016, but by the end of 2017 the drought had taken ahold and water restrictions were in place throughout the shire.
It only got worse from there and levels eventually sunk below 15 per cent by early 2020, with council scrambling to find ways to improve water security.
Council is looking at weirs and bores as possible solutions, but for now it is embracing the rain and believes the public is too.
"It's been a really long time since the community has seen these sort of figures and I think we're just so excited," water sustainability officer Louise Cadell said.
"It's just that morale boost, it's been so long since we've seen these figures so I think it's time the community saw that reprieve, and got that excitement and got that feeling we've all be waiting for."
Despite the dam reaching capacity, water restrictions will not be reversed.
READ ALSO:
TRC introduced permanent water restrictions when Chaffey Dam dropped to 50 per cent and Ms Cadell said that would not change.
"In terms of water restrictions it doesn't change anything for us, we moved to permanent water conservation measures at 50 per cent," she said.
"So in terms of water restrictions life will go on."
She said while things look good now, it can drop quickly "when we don't get that magical wet stuff falling from the sky".
Ms Cadell used the dam's current levels as an example of how fast things change, acknowledging it would have been almost impossible to think at this stage last year the dam would now be full.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark northerndailyleader.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News