CLIMATE CHANGE CENTRE CONFIRMS WORST DROUGHT EVER FOR BRISBANE DAM CATCHMENTS

The current drought is the worst on record in Brisbane’s dam catchments, according to a report by the new Queensland Climate Change Centre of Excellence (QCCCE).

Natural Resources and Water Minister Craig Wallace said QCCCE’s first public report, The South-East Queensland Drought to 2007, showed the current drought was the longest and most severe on record for the catchments for Wivenhoe, Somerset and North Pine dams.

Mr Wallace released the report today to coincide with World Water Day, which this year has the theme of “Coping with Water Scarcity”.

“The QCCCE report confirms that we have never faced a drought like this in our Brisbane dam catchments,” Mr Wallace said.

“We are dealing with water scarcity by working to secure future water supplies for south east Queensland, especially through building our water grid and by introducing water-saving incentives,” he said.

The QCCCE report found:

·Catchment rainfall in the 70 months since 2000/01 (when storages were last full) was 24% less than the historical average over equivalent 70-month periods.

·Such a rainfall deficit, over such a long period, has only occurred in the so-called Federation Drought which, in south east Queensland, lasted 61 months from the end of the wet summer of 1897/98 to May 1903.

·The current drought in south east Queensland is more protracted and the rainfall deficit more severe than during the Federation Drought.

·There has been a strong drying trend in eastern Queensland since 1950 and a weaker drying trend since 1900.

The report noted that a number of natural and human-induced factors have possibly influenced south east Queensland’s rainfall so it is not yet clear whether the observed down-trend in rainfall will continue into the future.

However Mr Wallace said that the new QCCCE was actively researching the observed decline in rainfall to better understand likely future rainfall trends.

For example, much depends on how the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon responds to global warming and, in turn, whether the rainfall patterns associated with ENSO fluctuations change.

Premier Peter Beattie and Mr Wallace launched the new Queensland Climate Change Centre of Excellence last week.

The centre, which has 54 staff including 40 scientists, brings climate scientists and policy experts together.

It has a whole-of-government focus and is tapping into the latest knowledge from around the world to help Queensland plan for and adapt to our changing environment.

The United Nations General Assembly has designated March 22 of each year as the World Day for Water.

The world day for water was first observed in 1993.

The South-East Queensland Drought to 2007 can be found at www.climatechange.qld.gov.au.

Media inquiries: Paul Childs, Craig Wallace’s office, on 0407 131 654.