Wyangala Dam: Then and Now

Australia, already the driest inhabited continent on Earth, is drying up for good. The state of New South Wales is particularly hard-hit, with catastrophic mega-fires destroying the eucalyptus forests, major rivers reduced to muddy streambeds, and dams drained to nothing but algae-filled ponds. Wyangala Dam is an example of how it will end. Now down to less than 5% of its capacity, drastic water-usage limitations have been imposed by the state; without these measures, the dam will be empty by February 2010. Whole towns are being cut off and agriculture abandoned to provide water for upstream towns to water their lawns. [21 December 2010 update: Since this was posted, Australia’s “Big Dry” has been replaced by the “Big Wet,” with flooding and mayhem in the previously drought-plagued state of New South Wales. Des has added two new photos from 2010 to show the change in the Wyangala Dam’s water level. The November photo clearly shows the “bathtub ring,” similar to that of Lake Mead.  Some readers have pointed out that Australia has always experienced the drought-flood cycle, but what’s different now is the rate at which records are being broken, e.g., record heat waves are occurring more frequently.  The cycle of record-breaking droughts punctuated with record-breaking floods is in accordance with the expectations of climate science. Desdemona fully expects that when the 2010 La Niña passes, the drought trend will re-emerge.]   Wyangala Dam in better days   Wyangala Dam in 2005   Wyangala Dam in 2006   Wyangala Dam in 2009   Wyangala Dam, early 2010   Wyangala Dam, November 2010