New Doppler Radar for Brewarrina

At the site of the new Doppler Radar at Brewarrina Airport standing l-r: Brewarrina Shire Council General Manager Jeff Sowiak, Councillors Angelo Pippos and Bill Loughnan, Brewarrina Mayor Phillip O’Connor, NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro, and Bureau of Meteorology NSW Regional Manager Jane Golding. Kneeling: Minister for Agriculture and Minister for Western NSW, Adam Marshall, and Nationals MLC Sam Farraway. PHOTO SUPPLIED

Work has begun on a new Doppler Radar at Brewarrina Airport which will have a significant impact on farmers, emergency services and communities across the far west.

The Doppler Radar technology delivers real-time weather data and once completed, is expected to eliminate a huge weather radar ‘black spot’ across Western NSW.

Last Thursday, the Deputy Premier John Barilaro and Minister for Agriculture and Western NSW Adam Marshall turned the first ceremonial sod of soil at the building site.

This “turning of the first sod” formally marks the beginning of construction of the Doppler Radar to be housed at Brewarrina airport, delivering on a key election commitment for regional NSW.

Deputy Premier John Barilaro said the new radar in Brewarrina was the first of three new Doppler Radars for western NSW, with the other two to be built in the Parkes and the Hillston-Ivanhoe regions.

“This radar project was a key election commitment for regional NSW, and is a $24.5 million investment from the NSW Government to construct the three new Doppler Radars and remove the weather radar blackspots,” Mr Barilaro said.

“The radars will be able to detect rain drops, hail, bushfire plumes, rain intensity, and wind velocity – vastly improving real-time weather services for communities across outback New South Wales.

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