Drops short of comfort

RAIN in December brought relief to Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs but not enough to prevent a seriously dry summer.
Summer rainfall was almost 40 per cent below average after a dry spring, renewing calls for households to watch their water usage.
Emerald was the wettest town in Cardinia with 125mm, including 109mm in December.
Officer and Lang Lang both recorded 113mm of rainfall during the three months to the end of February.
Rainfall in Casey was patchy with just 64mm in Narre Warren North and 99mm in Berwick. But Cranbourne recorded 123mm.
Melbourne Water’s manager of water supply operations, John Woodland, said the effects of sporadic rainfall hit Melbourne’s water storages hard.
The dry conditions saw reservoirs decline by 3.1 per cent of total capacity to be 30.9 per cent full on 1 March. Water storages across the state were 35.5 per cent full at the same time last year.
“Summer rainfall was almost 40 per cent below average, and while we had welcome downpours in December, a hot and extremely dry January and February means we are entering autumn at our lowest levels since the Thomson was built,” Mr Woodland said.
“Of the 127 mm of rain that fell over the major catchments, just 21.5mm of that fell in January and February.”
Cardinia Reservoir is at 44 per cent capacity.
Stage 3a water restrictions and a target of 155 litres a person a day are in place.
Under these restrictions, plants can be watered only on specified watering days as required. No evening watering is permitted.
For details visit www.melbournewater.com.au or www.target155.vic.gov.au