The South Australian State Emergency Service (SES) has taken a proactive approach and established an Incident Management Team (IMT) to ensure situational awareness is established and maintained regarding current levels of the River Murray.
Over the past four weeks, levels have risen from 42GL/day at the border to around 52GL/day currently.
The Department for Environment and Water (DEW) has issued a High Flow Advice since July 14 and has forecast a peak flow of around 55GL/Day to occur in the first week of September, before levels decline.
Chris Beattie, Chief Officer of the SES reminded people to take safety precautions when recreating in or around the River Murray and to never drive through floodwaters.
“As the Control Agency for flooding in South Australia, the SES constantly monitors River Murray water flows,’’ he said.
“We want to reassure the public that current and forecast flows are not expected to adversely impact properties or River Murray communities.
“However, it is important people take care when swimming or boating on the river with faster water and increased debris causing potential hazards.
“The IMT will ensure communication channels are established and up-to-date, accurate information is being shared across all agencies, stakeholders and with the public.
“The current situation is very different from last year when we received large amounts of water from New South Wales and Victoria. That is not the case at the moment, as there is no water ‘behind’ the flows currently coming into South Australia.’’
If the flow rate at the border is forecast to reach 60GL/day the SES will issue a Flood Advice for the River Murray Shack Areas.
Chrissie Bloss, DEW Water Delivery Manager said the peak water flow for the event would reach the SA border in the first week of September and pass over Lock 1 around two weeks later.
“The peak flow at the SA border is expected to be less than 55 gigalitres per day, subject to river operations,’’ she said.
“That is a long way short of the 190 gigalitres per day at the height of 2022-23 River Murray flood.
“While the current flow and water levels are considered a “high flow”, it’s not unusual to see these levels in winter and spring, when the Murray catchment receives the bulk of its rainfall.’’
South Australian Police Superintendent Cynthia Healey said while information received indicated a slight increase in flows, there is no need for the community to be alarmed.
“We remind motorists to take care when driving on roads and take extreme care in river and creek crossings where water levels are more than usual,’’ she said.
Department of Premier and Cabinet Communities Recovery Coordinator Alex Zimmermann said now was a great time for people to visit the River Murray.
“The river right now is as spectacular as ever,’’ he said.
“All houseboats are operating and local communities are open for business.
“The South Australian Tourism Commission vouchers and recovery efforts are going great and neither will be affected by the current water levels.’’
For more information visit www.ses.sa.gov.au
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