Major water bodies continue to shrink as well, with some local lakes possibly going to the way of Lake Learmonth and Lake Burrumbeet continuing to drop if strong rains do not arrive soon. 

Lake Beaufort is at risk of going completely dry. 

Goldfields Recreation Reserve caretaker Hank Owen said they were well on the way to no water at all. 

“It’s virtually bone dry. There’s a little puddle over the far side,” he said. 

It has already had an affect on visitor numbers. 

“We’ve got five regulars not turning up this year, and that’s just the ones I know about,” he said. 

The last time the lake was properly was full was in 2011, Mr Owen said. 

Weatherzone meteorologist Kim Westcott said Ballarat’s rain was far down on the long-term average. 

“On average Ballarat has received 689.5 mm of rain, which would fall over 170 days,” she said. 

“So far for 2015 we have seem 453 mm falling in 152 days.” 

Worryingly, 2015’s rain figures are a continuation of 2014, which is also saw around two-thirds of the long-term average. 

December itself, Ms Westcott said, was half the average. 

“Assuming that there’s no rain until the end of year, Ballarat has seen 26.2mm this month, over 10 days. On average we would see 50.4 millimetres,” she said. 

“Nearly the same number of rain days but half the rain.” 

Ingrid Gadd went down to Lake Burumbeet on Monday night and decided not to have a swim after seeing the dozens of dead European carp. 

“They’re all over the place,” she said. 

Only larger fish were affected by the lower levels of dissolved oxygen in the water, but it follows thousands of carp clogging up Burrumbeet Creek last month. 

One commercial fisher took 3.2 tons of the noxious fish, which can be used for bait or fertiliser.