Over the past week the Great Lakes has received unprecedented rainfalls which have replenished parched dams and tanks and breathed new life into thirsty pastures, lawns and gardens.
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According to the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), in the seven days since February 7 Bungwahl has been drenched receiving 529mm of rain to 9am this morning (February 13), Pacific Palms received 494mm, while further north the Wallis Lake Tuncurry station recorded 299.5mm in the gauge.
Last year's total for Forster Tuncurry was 663.2mm.
However, with all this rain is the drought over?
According to Weatherzone meteorologist Brett Dutschke, that determination is done on a case by case basis.
Mr Dutschke said it was unlikely any area would come out of drought immediately.
"But the places to come out soonest will be on the coast; I could not say with any degree of confidence when."
We are in a much better situation than we were four months ago.
- Rob Scott
While soil moisture on the surface has significantly increased, the rain has not had a chance to seep well below the surface, he said.
"It takes time for that moisture to penetrate deeper."
He said algorithms would look at accumulated rain overlaid with information on the length of the dry spell, combined with river levels, run-off and soil moisture content.
Mr Dutschke said just because lawns and paddocks were flush with green pastures didn't mean the drought was over.
"There is such a thing as a green drought."
Agronomist, Mark Lucas said a drought would be declared over when there was surplus or amplus pasture and farmers would no longer have to feed livestock.
Mr Lucas said recent falls wouldn't be enough to build subsoil moisture.
"I think you are still a long way from being out of drought," he said.
He said technically a drought did not apply to a town or city.
However, a good drought predictor was the amount of water in the town storage, river and stream flow levels, he said.
MidCoast Council infrastructure and engineering services director, Rob Scott said council would re-visit water restrictions early next week.
Late last week council lifted the severe level four water restrictions to level two.
"I would be confident we will have an outcome next week, especially if we have rain over the weekend; it would be the icing on the cake," he said.
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"We are in a much better situation than we were four months ago."
He said water levels at Bootawa Dam was sitting at just below 80 per cent and holding, while there also was a lot of water flowing down the river systems.
"However, the turbidity was still very high."
Mr Scott explained turbidity had already dropped from 600 to 210.
However, water would not be extracted until turbidity reaches five.
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Jeanene Duncan
Jeanene has more than 40 years experience as a regional and rural journalist starting at The Land Newspaper. She also worked for Stock Journal Newspaper (SA), McPherson, Fairfax newspapers and Rural Press, and contributed to various magazines.
Jeanene has more than 40 years experience as a regional and rural journalist starting at The Land Newspaper. She also worked for Stock Journal Newspaper (SA), McPherson, Fairfax newspapers and Rural Press, and contributed to various magazines.
