Water levels in the dams closest to the Illawarra have risen slightly in the past week, thanks to several days of rain in the catchment.
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According to data from Water NSW, 54.7mm of rain fell in the Nepean catchment, which includes Cataract, Avon and Cordeaux dams.
The data shows the amount of water in both Cataract and Avon Dams went up by 0.5 per cent last week.
However dam levels remain low, with Cataract - the third largest in terms of capacity - at 26 per cent, and Avon - the second largest in the Greater Sydney catchment and the Illawarra's main water supply - at 44.4 per cent
The water in Cordeaux Dam continued to go down, but storage dropped by less than it has in previous weeks.
Overall, the water stored in the Greater Sydney catchment sits at 42.6 per cent, a 0.1 per cent drop compared to a week ago. In previous weeks, levels have been dropping by about 0.4 or 0.5 per cent.
The Bureau of Meteorology this month confirmed that 2019 was the driest year, in both Australia and NSW, on record - with below average rainfall recorded every month for the first time.
Level 2 water restrictions kicked in for the Illawarra and Sydney on December 10, which Water NSW says "have resulted in an average 10.2 per cent reduction in water consumption".
However, the agency is continuing to encourage people to make small changes to save more water as the drought continues.
Level 3 restrictions were set to be implemented once dam levels hit 30 per cent, originally predicted to happen in July.
If introduced, they will be the strictest ever brought in: Level 3 water restrictions were in place during the Millennium Drought but were on par with current Level 2 restrictions.
After some showers and storms on Monday, there is little rain forecast for the next week. For Wollongong, top temperatures will remain in the high 20s and are forecast to reach 33 degrees on Thursday.
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Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
