From 1997 to 2010, southeastern Australia experienced its worst drought on record. The "Millennium" drought severely strained municipal and agricultural water supplies—and despite a return to near-predrought rainfall levels, some of the region's watersheds have not yet recovered. The extended dry spell delivered two surprises: streamflows that were surprisingly low during the drought, even considering the low rainfall, and a lack of post-drought recovery in streamflows back to predrought norms.
