Sydney's dam levels have officially slipped below 40 per cent, but the water catchment authority says there is no cause for alarm. The authority said that as of 3pm today, the available storage in Sydney's water supply reservoirs was 39.7 per cent. That is a 0.5 per cent drop from last week but is still above last year's historic low of 37.9 per cent.
There has been negligible rainfall over the catchment area since last Thursday's figures showed dam levels at 40.2 per cent.
During a similar recent seven-day period of negligible rainfall, the water level dropped by 0.4 of 1 per cent, meaning today's dam level figures, which are released at 3pm, are likely to come in at about the 39.8 per cent mark.
"We were at 40.2 per cent last week and we've had negligible rain in the catchments during the week, so we fully expect that the dam levels will dip below 40 per cent today," Sydney Catchment Authority spokeswoman Alison White said. Even if drought conditions prevail, the existing supply should meet the city's needs for at least four more years, Ms White said.
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http://www.smh.com.au/news/scorchedearth/dams-drop-below-40-per-cent/2006/11/02/1162339955964.html"Remain calm! All is well!"