Water starts to flow into Lake Bonney after reconnection to the River Murray

It’s a sight to behold – water has started to flow into Lake Bonney after the removal of temporary inlet closures. See the video.

The removal of temporary inlet closures at Lake Bonney is a step toward normality as flood waters continue to recede.

The closure, put in place on December 2 last year, caused the lake to be closed due to blue green algae making the water toxic.

The barrier ensured the protection of properties, businesses, community waste management systems and storm water infrastructure located in Barmera.

Video footage, taken by local Shaz Arnold, shows large flows of River Murray water re-entering the lake for the first time in almost two months.

Ms Arnold said she is relieved to see freshwater flowing into the lake.

It was expected, without closure, that community waste management systems at Barmera would have been significantly impacted with the homes of 4,000 people experiencing critical wastewater backups.

Green algae in Lake Bonney on December 20. Picture: Shonnie Jordan

Tracey Alexander, Berri Barmera council acting chief executive officer, said “the levee at Nappers Bridge held back almost 3m of flood water, protecting significant community infrastructure and homes”.

“Lake Bonney is truly at the heart of our community,” she said.

“I encourage anyone thinking of visiting the Riverland, to come and enjoy the iconic Lake Bonney, and support those who have done it tough of late.”

Discovery Parks at Lake Bonney was forced to close in November because of rising floodwaters.

“It’s been a challenging time for us at the park as we have more than 220 tourist sites and 80 cabins that we had to close to tourists,” a Discovery Parks spokesman said.

“These would be anywhere from 80 to 90 per cent full over the December to January period.”

The spokesman said they remained open for tradespeople who were working to support the community to prepare for flooding.

The park said they will assess the increased water flows into the lake before choosing a date to re-open.

“We are committed to getting the park back up running as soon as possible,” they said.

Minister for emergency services Joe Szakacs said the reconnection is “incredibly important” as it signifies that infrastructure, businesses and private properties are at “minimal risk of any damage”.

It is expected that water will be flowing through to the inlet for the next 24 hours.

Downstream irrigators at Lake Bonney, provided by SA Health, are being advised to keep an eye on salinity levels as salt may be left behind from the river’s flow.

Lake Bonney on January 1, 2023. Picture: Simon Rathbone / Facebook

From this morning people are prohibited from being in or on the River Murray, near Morgan Rd Bridge, and Lake Bonney as they equalise.

This comes as the budget and finance committee met today to discuss the floods.

The committee posed the question of whether the $31.8 million contract, signed last year, for the Murray mouth dredging will go ahead with the question being taken on notice by the department for environment and water.

“With high flows in the river, operations are currently paused, however the contract remains in place, to facilitate general maintenance and ensure the dredge can be re-mobilised when required,” an SA Water spokesperson has since responded.

The department also defended remarks made by the committee that their flow projections were inaccurate when asked about occasions when they changed daily.

“The number that would appear first thing in the morning on the Murray-Darling Basin Authority website would change during the day because it’s just an automatic calculated number,” executive director of water and River Murray Ben Bruce said.