By Jeremy Sollars
The Southern Downs Regional Council has announced restrictions on recreational activities at Stanthorpe’s Storm King Dam as the water level has dropped to 56 per cent of full capacity.
In a statement released today, Thursday 10 January, the council said with Storm King Dam’s water level currently at 1230.2ML it was time to restrict activities for safety reasons.
“As a result of SDRC’s ongoing monitoring of water levels at Storm King Dam and in the interest of community safety certain recreational activities are now restricted,” the council’s statement said.
“SDRC will prohibit all power boats, jet skis and water skiing at the dam beginning this week.
“Residents may continue using small boats with engines less than six horsepower and travelling less than 10 knots.
“SDRC has erected signs at the entry to the dam, boat ramp, old boat ramp, recreational areas and caravan park notifying residents of the restricted activities.”
Leslie Dam near Warwick is currently at just under nine per cent of full capacity and while owner Sunwater has not formally restricted water-based activities they have warned dam users to be mindful of hazards.
Sunwater released a statement on Tuesday of this week reminding “all recreational users and visitors to the storage to be aware of submerged hazards and exercise caution at all times”.
“We are working with the local ski club, Southern Downs Regional Council, Queensland Boating and Fisheries and Maritime Safety Queensland to regularly assess the risks associated with recreational use of the storage as the water level decreases,” the Sunwater statement said.
“Please keep in mind that there may be hazards under the water’s surface that are not easily visible, so proceed with caution and always follow signage at the storage.
“It is the responsibility of each recreational user and visitor to be aware of the risks at the storage and when operating a vessel on the lake.
“We will continue to work with stakeholders to monitor water levels and will provide further updates as required.”
