THE water level at Burrendong Dam has dropped about 20 per cent since the peak season started but State Water claims there is no need for alarm.
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Yesterday the recorded volume of Burrendong Dam was 25 per cent of capacity, which is about 326 gigalitres.
Currently about 3200 megalitres is being released from the Burrendong dam by State Water per day into the Macquarie River to keep it flowing.
A State Water spokesman said at the beginning of 2013 Burrendong Dam was at about 45 per cent capacity, which did not begin to significantly decrease until about October.
"It is certainly dry, we haven't had any significant run off into Burrendong Dam for a while," he said.
During the summer months of January and February the demand for water is high, according to the State Water spokesman.
"This is a peak time in the season so it is being sent for irrigation, town use and livestock," he said.
Macquarie River Food and Fibre (MRFF) Executive Officer Susan Madden said in December that there had been a 60 per cent decline in storage at Burrendong Dam at the end of the 2012/2013 water year.
"The Macquarie River system typically has a very high degree of annual variability, and as a result, irrigators holding general security licences have become adept at managing seasonal fluctuations," she said.
"It is important to note that this type of water use is not unusual for the Macquarie system and will not affect the security of the valley's essentially requirements, like town water supplies, stock and domestic rights, or high security entitlements, which are already provided for in storage reserves."