Copeton Dam is at almost 50 per cent, holding 681 gigalitres.

Any more rain in the catchment area would continue to flow into the dams because the ground was saturated, NSW Water spokesman Tony Webber said,. 

The massive inflows spell good news to the local irrigators, with the water – like money in the bank – securing their future for the next two years.

Gwydir Valley Irrigators Association spokeswoman Zara Lowein said the water might not be needed this year but the unlimited carryover meant possibly two years of certainty; two years of really good economic activity and a relatively good opportunity to plan for summer cropping over a good-sized area.

She said there had been good flows into the river below the dam as well providing good allocations in terms of on-farm and for the environment.

“It has been a very short turn around since June,’’ she said.

“It brings a few challenges for waterlogged winter crops with a whole lot under water and it creates a challenge too for access to crops.

“It will be a very protracted harvest this year and it will probably coincide with summer planting,’’ Mrs Lowein said.

Meanwhile the Copeton Dam is looking terrific with the water level climbing from 15 per cent six weeks ago to 50 per cent today.

“It looks an absolute picture,’’ park manager David Allan said this week.

He was gearing up for the second annual Copeton Cod Classic this weekend, with more than 170 fishermen expected at the park for the contest.

Mr Allan said the rain had ensured the park would have a great supply of water over summer because he didn’t expect irrigators would need to draw from the dam.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve seen this amount of rain this late in the year,’’ he said.

“The indications are that these weather patterns are going to continue.

He said the rain was coming from higher than average sea temperatures in the Indian Ocean.

Copeton dam received 150 gigalitres in the last seven days with one 24 hour period recording 42.5 gigalitres.

In the same period, Pindari dam grew from 80 per cent full to 100 with an average of 10 gigalitres a day.