Despite a lack of rainfall earlier in the year, Bermuda is now overflowing with water, a Government spokesman reported this week.

The Bermuda Weather Service said there had been 8.54 inches of rain so far this month, in comparison with an average of 4.51 inches for the month of July last year.

And the year has seen 33.35 inches of rain to date in comparison with an average of 28.54 inches.

While reservoirs looked low prior to the recent downpours, Government Hydrologist Mark Rowe said the Island's underground water bores and above ground supplies were overflowing.

"The rain over the past few days has more than counteracted the loss from the drought,'' he said.

He noted that the drought from previous weeks would have caused some damage to the lenses and bores, but added that the Island was not in danger of experiencing future problems.

"There is damage. They haven't been catching any water and that has caused some effect,'' he said.

"Pumping was causing some damage but pumping has dropped dramatically over the past few days,'' he continued.

"Through not being pumped the lenses will recover quite well.'' Mr. Rowe said he did not foresee any future problems from damage caused to the Island's water lenses.

And he noted that the supplies had caught up quickly.

"They have gone from almost empty to overflowing over the last day or two.'' Even the Prospect reservoir, which looked terribly low during the weeks before the heavy rains, was now overflowing with water, he said.

"The Prospect reservoir did get low but it is overflowing now.

"The reservoirs were low due to exceedingly high demands from truckers,'' he pointed out.

Local water dealers noted that business has dropped off drastically in the past few days because people no longer needed water.

Marion Quade of Kevin DeSilva Water Service said customers were not buying loads of water from them recently.

"We've had no water calls in three days,'' she said.

She continued: "A lot of our customers have small water tanks and when it rains as hard as it did they fill up.

"But at the same time they will be calling again in a weeks time.'' The firm's owner Kevin DeSilva noted that extraneous pumping from local supplies could have been avoided if people had checked their tanks regularly.

"I tell people to please check their tanks.

"There is no excuse for that,'' he said.

Local farmer Thomas Wadson noted that he was pleased that he would not have to irrigate his farm for a few days thanks to an abundance of water.

"I have been able to stop irrigating for a week but we'll start again probably tomorrow because I want to keep the supply constant.

"Rain is always a good thing. At least I won't have to make water for a couple of days.

"I have lots of equipment but it's expensive to make water.'' But he noted that things had been tough when was there was little rainfall.

He said: "It's tough when it's that short for that long and it does mash things up.

"But I can take whatever's thrown at me from upstairs.

"It's good to see the lenses are recharged.

"They are being overtaxed I think.''.

When it rains it pours: Thanks to all the rain over the last week, Government says the Island's underground water bores and above ground supplies are overflowing.