"Strong water security" at Lake Julius as Moondarra dips below 40 per cent capacity

On Thursday September 8, Mount Isa Water Board reported Lake Moondarra was at 38.6 per cent capacity, while Lake Julius had increased to 86.8 per cent due to recent unseasonal rainfall.

Lake Julius lies 70km from Mount Isa on the Leichardt River and provides a back-up water supply to the city.

According to the Mount Isa Water Board, residents will "likely" start receiving water supplied from Lake Julius between December 2022 and March 2023, if current conditions remain the same.

Mount Isa Water Board Chief Executive Officer, Bill Esteves said any out-of-season rainfall may mean that no pumping from Lake Julius will be needed.

"The current capacity in Lake Julius is sufficient to support Mount Isa's needs during periods of drought, as it has been many times in the past since its commissioning in 1978," he said.

"The Mount Isa Water Board and our bulk water customers continue to regularly monitor lake levels and other indicators such as water consumption, evaporation and rainfall to forecast if and when we will need to begin pumping from Lake Julius."

Water levels at Lake Moondarra have been dropping since April, prompting concerns about a failed wet season.

Water restrictions for Mount Isa and Camooweal have been in effect since 2015. The Mount Isa City Council moved restrictions to level two for Mount Isa and level one for Camooweal in 2017.

Mr Esteves dismissed concerns surrounding Mount Isa's water supply, saying Lake Julius "provides a drought-proofing water supply" for the city.

"Our water storages hold more than three years' supply to meet industrial and residential demand," he said.

"Residents can take comfort in knowing that Lake Julius provides us with strong water security, with over three times the catchment area of Lake Moondarra. This enables Lake Julius to capture much greater runoff during rainfall events."