Months of floodwater overflows at Burrendong Dam receded for the first time now below 99 per cent says Water NSW

Water NSW executive manager of operations Ronan Magaharan said this latest development on Burrendong Dam which has a flood mitigation zone (FMZ) unlike other dams, followed "a difficult period" in the Macquarie Valley.

The dam level began to reach over-capacity in November 2021 with 1,189 gigalitres, peaking at over 130 per cent last year, and recording up to four times over its capacity that flooded vulnerable towns along the Macquarie River, and resulted in devastating losses of homes and several lives.

"Burrendong has a flood mitigation zone, a designated airspace to capture excess water for the purpose of flood mitigation, meaning water can be held above full supply level and released when downstream tributaries have reduced," Mr Magaharan said.

"The news of the dam falling below full supply level follows a difficult period in the Macquarie Valley. Operation staff has been centred on flood operations for many months now, with our expert planners working to manage unprecedented volumes of water.

"I'm incredibly proud of Water NSW staff who have worked closely with local communities over this testing period.

"With the storage moving out of FMZ, our dam operators are now focused on maximising the resource available for customers and the environment."

Dam operations across the region are continuously being worked out with the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), NSW State Emergency Services (SES) and the Burrendong Flood Mitigation Zone Reference Panel which includes landholders, councils, and other agencies.

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Burrendong Dam's lowest level at 39 per cent was recorded in March 2021 before back-to-back heavy rains and storms the storage broke the 100 per cent level at the start of September last year.

The Lachlan River system that inundated towns such as Forbes last November had floodwaters flowing to downstream towns such as Condobolin and Lake Cargelligo.

Wyangala received four times its regular inflow of 560 gigalitres or 2,071 gigalitres in the months before the record-breaking floods in November last year.

But Menindee Lakes in far west NSW that meets with Murray Darling River is still 105 per cent over capacity, as of this week, according to Water NSW.