Rhonda Bracey: At Random

After record rainfall in September, some of the dams in the southwest corner of our state are filling up. Wellington Dam (near Collie) has overflowed, and according to the local newspaper about a week ago, Harvey Dam is 80% full and about 80 cm from the lip of the spillway.

We went to Harvey yesterday for lunch with my parents and sister and nephew — it was about halfway between where they all live so was an ideal spot. And before we went to the restaurant, we drove up to Harvey Dam to see how it was looking.

Here’s what it looked like in early July 2013:

And here’s what it looked like on Sunday 6 October 2013:

As the photos were taken from a slightly different spot, the most telling difference between the two pictures is the bank on the far side — in July it was quite exposed, but now it is under water. And those small trees in the foreground are almost completely under water too.

So, while this is good news for farmers (this dam is used for irrigation purposes), the main drinking water storage dams surrounding Perth are still only about 38% full.