IN news no one saw coming, it appears that Chifley Dam could be at capacity in just a few days from now.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Last week, Bathurst Regional Council reported the dam level as 56.9 per cent capacity, the highest seen in around 83 weeks.
When council checked the dam on Monday morning, ahead of its official reading on Tuesday, it was sitting at 77 per cent and more water was coming in.
ALSO MAKING NEWS: 100 rainbow trout released into Bathurst's Ben Chifley Dam
Mayor Bobby Bourke said that, after speaking with senior staff, he was told the dam is set to rise even further in the coming days.
"There's expectations now the dam will be filled this week, probably as early as Wednesday or Thursday," he said.
"... It's very likely that the dam will start overflowing."
Things have turned around significantly for Bathurst this year, with Chifley Dam recording an increase every week since May 19, when the level sat at 34.6 per cent.
It has also push back "Zero Day", when the dam runs out of usable water, into 2022.
In July 2019, Zero Day was slated for July 17, 2020.
With the positive news, discussions around relaxing water restrictions have begun and it is expected council will make a decision before the end of the week.
"I think that's something we seriously have to look at now," Cr Bourke said.
"We are coming into summer, we don't know how hot that summer will be, but we're in a better position than we were last year and we're going to be in a better position in the future with our stormwater harvesting.
"Hopefully, we've got over the worry of not enough water."
Level three (high) water restrictions were first imposed in November 2018 and were then tightened to extreme restrictions the following October.
Council also had to ban hoses in February this year when the dam dropped to 28.5 per cent capacity.
While restrictions are likely to ease, Cr Bourke couldn't say by how much.
"We've just got to have a real good look at it, it's not something that we're going to take lightly," he said.
The increase in the dam level has not only been good for the city's town water supply, but has also given council staff a little more breathing room when it comes to other water security projects.
This allows them to take the time to devise the best, most cost-effective plans, instead of having to rush to implement systems due to dwindling water supplies.
Cr Bourke also admitted that he is feeling much more relaxed than he was when he became the mayor almost a year ago.
"I reckon I was on a respirator trying to find this water; it was very important, it was one of my major things when I came in as mayor," he said.
"I've used up a lot of my time, with the other councillors, trying to secure it better. I think we've done a very good job."
He also thanked Member for Bathurst Paul Toole and Minister for Water Melinda Pavey for their contributions to water security projects.