"David WE Roberts" wrote in
:


"Baz" wrote in message
.. .
Sacha wrote in
:
snip
I was told 3 weeks but the principle was the same. I can't imagine
reservoirs being low atm but I suppose somebody will prove me wrong,
somewhere!

I get the same feeling that somebody will try to prove me wrong, but
here goes.
Although the reservoirs seem full, the area underneath is still not
"soaked" enough. Water from the reservoir above is leaking into
it.When that area is saturated the reservoir should not leak any more
water into it and and will fill up.
Do these words make sense? I am not too good at explaining exactly
what I mean to.

Baz

I think it is slightly different.
The reservoirs may be filling/full but they don't supply all the
water. A lot of water comes from ground water extraction (artesian
wells and the like) and river water extraction.
The rivers rely at least in part on being fed by springs - where the
ground water hits an impermeable rock layer and travels along until it
comes out of the ground.

So the real problem, I think, is that water takes months (at least
six?) to fully permeate down from the surface to replenish the ground
water supplies and raise the water table.
This means that it can be raining for months and there is still a
water shortage for some extraction methods.

Six months on it may be dry as a bone above ground for a month and
there is still plenty of water in the ground.

Granted that a raised water table should reduce leakage from
reservoirs but probably more important is the flow from the feeder
rivers/streams.

Whatever, we must be getting towards the end of the drought which ever
way you measure it.
(Please)

Cheers

Dave R

Yes, I remember most of that now from geography(?) lessons when I was at
school. The only bits I posted above were the basic bits I remembered and
found it all interesting. Bearing in mind that in those days I was an
unruly, remedial child because I could not read(dyslexia)and so could not
make notes.

Thanks, Dave R
Baz