The chart illustrates the water levels in reservoirs (as a percentage of maximum capacity) for six Australian cities in October 2009 and October 2010.
Overall, it can be observed that water levels increased in most cities over the one-year period, except in Darwin, where levels decreased. Canberra and Sydney had the highest reservoir levels in 2010, while Darwin and Melbourne remained at the lower end.
In October 2009, Sydney had a reservoir capacity of around 70%, which rose significantly to almost 100% in 2010, showing the most noticeable increase. Similarly, Canberra’s reservoir levels also grew, reaching full capacity in 2010 from about 80% the previous year. Brisbane and Perth showed smaller but steady increases, moving from approximately 40% to 60% and 50% to 70%, respectively.
Conversely, Darwin experienced a decline, dropping from 50% to around 30% in 2010, the lowest among the six cities. Melbourne’s water levels also rose, but only slightly, from around 20% to about 30%, remaining the lowest throughout the two years.
Although most cities experienced growth in their reservoir levels, the differences in the rate of change highlight significant regional variations in water availability in Australia.