FARMERS are set for their best spring in years, with recent rains flooding paddocks, boosting pastures and filling the Crookwell Dam till it overflowed.
Twenty kilometres away on the outskirts of Binda, Funny Hill property owner James Carr was looking forward to “more feed and fat stock.” “It’s probably the best rain we’ve had for years coming into spring,” Mr Carr told the Post.
“I can remember years ago we used to get big rains but the last nine odd years that hasn’t happened.”
The grazier said he’d already received 84mm of rain this month, with a massive downpour of 57mm since Tuesday. He said while it was great rain coming into spring, the deluge had caused some damage.
“There’s a few fences to repair, but that sort of stuff goes with it (rain),” Mr Carr said.
The weather hasn’t been as generous at Taralga, according to the Bureau of Meteorology, however the region still had an impressive total of 60.8mm rainfall from August 1.
The last week alone brought in over 46mm.
A Bureau spokesperson said even more rain was on the way.
“We’ve had a strong front move through and there was a lot of moisture ahead of that,” he said.
“There’s another front coming through, but it won’t be as strong.”
The spokesperson noted that while healthy rainfall is expected at this point of the year, recent falls had been heavier than usual.
“They’re just common place for winter, but we’re looking to have above average rainfall for the next three months,” he said.
For Margaret Cameron, Goulburn branch president of the NSW Farmers Association, the promise of more rain is “really, really good news.”
“It’s been fantastic, lovely steady rain, so it wasn’t doing any damage,” Mrs Cameron said.
COUNCIL STORAGES
UPPER Lachlan Shire Council’s acting manager of operations Luke Moloney said the region’s water storage was now at full capacity.
“Crookwell Dam’s our main storage and it’s been overflowing for a fortnight now,” Mr Moloney said.
“Taralga is also at 100 per cent.”
In a report for tomorrow’s Upper Lachlan meeting in Crookwell, Mr Moloney states that the downpour “puts the supply in a secure position heading into spring”.
“It is considered unlikely that water restrictions will be required in the summer of 2010/11,” he stated.
Goulburn Mulwaree’s storages also received a boost, the deluge adding 568mm to the council’s total.
The city’s three dams - Rossi, Sooley and Pejar - now stand at 61.9pc, up 3.7pc from last week.
According to Weatherzone, this month’s rainfall in Goulburn has already surpassed its 412mm average and is more than double last year’s total from August 1 to 16.
The Bureau is predicting further falls in the lead up to the weekend, with five flood warnings currently issued across the state.
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