FOR eight months, the Central Coast has been the major provider under the water transfer agreement with Hunter Water.
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Over summer, up to 15 million litres of water has been pumped from the Central Coast to the Hunter's supply every day.
The water is shared via a two-way pipeline that connects the Central Coast and Hunter water supplies.
Water transfer figures obtained by the Lakes Mail debunk speculation from some Lake Macquarie residents that the Hunter had been overly generous in supplying water to the Central Coast.
"This financial year, Central Coast Council has transferred a total of 1,109 million litres to the Hunter," a spokesperson for Central Coast Council said.
"In the same period, Hunter Water has transferred 452 million litres to the Central Coast.
"Since late November, 2019, Central Coast Council has transferred 10 to 15 million litres per day to Hunter Water to assist with their rapidly declining storage levels."
A spokesperson for Hunter Water said the water transfer agreement between Hunter Water and Central Coast Council had been in place since 2006.
"It can provide additional security for both organisations' water storages by making better use of our supplies and improving our drought resilience," they said.
"When water storages fall to certain levels, water is shared between the regions. This agreement is mutually beneficial to both during different times."
The agreement was not just about drought resilience, they said.
"As well as a drought contingency, the agreement has allowed both organisations to respond to operational incidents and ensure our customers maintain a water supply while we undertake necessary maintenance on our assets."
So how is it, then, that the Lower Hunter can be on Level 2 water restrictions while the Central Coast is yet to implement Level 1 restrictions?
There are several factors at play, including jurisdiction, infrastructure, geography and politics.
Firstly, there are separate water authorities in charge of each patch: on the Central Coast, the council is the water authority, and north of their border is Hunter Water country.
Each region has different dams with different characteristics, capacities and water harvesting infrastructure.
The Central Coast is considered to have a relatively large water storage capacity but a small catchment when compared to the Hunter.
And, ultimately, the verdict on trigger points for restrictions rests with decision-makers in each region.
Mangrove Creek Dam on the Central Coast was this week at 50.95 per cent of capacity.
Level 1 restrictions are due to start if the storage drops to 50 per cent of capacity.
