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Harvey dam at low level

Briana FioreHarvey-Waroona Reporter
The Harvey Dam is sitting at a quarter capacity.
Camera IconThe Harvey Dam is sitting at a quarter capacity. Credit: Briana Fiore/Briana Fiore

Harvey Dam’s water level sits at a quarter of its capacity as winter reaches the halfway mark.

The worrying sight comes as low rainfall has plagued the South West during the first half of the year.

The irrigation dam is holding 14.48 billion litres of water and is merely scraping over the 25 per cent capacity mark.

This time last year the dam was 44.3 per cent full — a long way off this year’s water level.

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The dam is so low that the old dam wall is visible from the look out. Water Corporation records show that the wall has not been visible for almost a decade.

July 2011 was the last time the wall was able to be seen above the water.

Water Corporation South West regional manager John Janssen said the low level was a result of low rainfall and climate change.

“The drying trend is particularly strong between May to July in the South West region,” Mr Janssen said.

He said rainfall had fallen by 20 per cent since 1970.

“Water Corporation is constantly responding and adapting to changing circumstances, including climate change, by investigating the requirement of new water sources.

“We have developed a long-term plan to ensure future generations have a secure water supply.”

The Harvey Dam does not supply drinking water, but is used for agricultural purposes around the region.

Waroona and Logue Brook dams are also irrigation dams and are used by farmers.

The Waroona Dam is sitting at 55 per cent — down from 74.4 per cent in July last year.

Logue Brook Dam is sitting at 62.7 per cent capacity which is about 10 per cent lower than its 2019 July average.

However, Mr Janssen said the Harvey Dam was significantly larger than its neighbouring dams and could hold more water when full.

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