Water engineer Robert Scott said the beneficial falls had produced a good fresh in the river, and while this meant the council was unable to pump into the Port Macquarie storage dam or the new Cowarra Dam, the rain would have longer term benefits of keeping a good flow in the river.

"We haven't had this flow for a number of months," Mr Scott said.

"When the water clears there will be a fairly good level available for extraction when the quality returns to a desirable position.

"However we need these rainfall events to continue or the river level will drop dramatically."

The current situation is that the Port Macquarie dam is holding about 90 per cent of its 2500 megalitre capacity, and has been dropping daily while extraction from the river is not taking place.

The Cowarra Dam is at 63 per cent capacity.

"We are well and truly on our way to the first filling of the dam, but it needs to fill and then settle before we draw water from it."

Mr Scott said the council was making good progress toward the first filling.

"Given that 90 per cent of the drought remains in drought, any rainfall is welcome particularly coming into the winter months when we traditionally do not get much rainfall."

October is predicted as the possible time to officially open Cowarra Dam, with the hope it could be holding 85 per cent capacity by that time.