Yesterday it was sitting at 20 per cent capacity because of significant and continuing rainfall this year.

The inflow of valuable water corresponds with progress in the raising of walls at the inland storage facility.

Long-time residents of Dubbo have seen Burrendong both overflow and practically run dry in the past two decades.

For example, in 1990 it filled rapidly as Nyngan succumbed to flooding. In February of 2003 the water level dropped to an alarming 1.2 per cent.

Other low readings were recorded for April 1998 (1.36 per cent) and April 2007 (2.4 per cent).

State Water, the corporation that distributes bulk supplies to regional NSW, reports that 2002-03 and 1997-98 were El Nino years “when it hardly rains so you don’t get inflows”.

Seven months ago the corporation with headquarters in Dubbo was concerned that Burrendong’s water level might fall to 2 per cent by the end of summer 2009-10, having been at 20 per cent capacity in May 2009.

But significant rain at Christmas washed away the concern with the dam sitting at almost 12 per cent by early January.

Yesterday a spokesperson for State Water said “general security allocation is currently 6 per cent”.

“For the last five years including this year, average allocation has been 4 per cent because it has been so very dry,” she said.

“Hopefully, things will improve.”

The State Government’s belief in the possibility of extreme flooding has prompted the upgrading of seven rural dams including Burrendong that when full holds three times the water in Sydney Harbour.

About $28 million is being spent improving the dam on the Macquarie River that took 21

years to build and was completed in 1967.

State Water chief executive officer George Warne recently reported that Macmahon Contractors, chosen to carry out stage one of the works, was “on time and to schedule”.

“The contractors have informed State Water they are well advanced on raising the main dam embankment and first saddle dam, with works about to commence on the second saddle dam,” he said.

Mr Warne said Wellington and Dubbo businesses were benefiting from the project including Dubbo Sands in Burrabadine Road.

“We’re supplying the sand for the upgrade for them to put into

the wall,” owner Graham Colbran said.