Dire warning for small Riverland, Murraylands towns as more roads and ferries close

More road and ferry closures have been announced amid rising River Murray flood waters – and authorities have warned additional shut downs can be expected in coming days.

More road and ferry closures have been announced and authorities have warned additional shut downs can be expected in coming days amid rising River Murray flood waters.

Kingston Road at Moorook is now closed to heavy vehicles greater than 15 tonnes to limit damage to road surface and to allow other traffic to pass through for as long as possible.

The Department of Infrastructure and Transport said while it would endeavour to keep Kingston Road open for as long as it was safe to do so, it expected the road would be closed to all traffic by next week.

A section of Taylorville Road, across from Ross Lagoon and north of the Waikerie ferry, was being closely monitored by the department but may need to close this weekend.

When Taylorville Road does close, a detour via Goyder Highway and Devlins Pound Road will be in place for the Waikerie Ferry to remain open for light vehicles.

The Waikerie ferry, pictured, is expected to remain operational over the coming weeks but the Mannum downstream ferry will close. Picture: Emma Brasier

The Mannum downstream ferry will close from 11.00pm on Sunday due to rising water levels and is expected to remain closed while water flows are above 130GL/day.

The Waikerie ferry is expected to remain operational over the coming weeks unless impacted by rising water levels.

It comes as number of Riverland communities face becoming “fully inundated or completely isolated” as the River Murray rises, authorities say.

Flows remain forecast to soon hit 190GL a day, rising to 220GL a day by late December. Flows across the border are currently 180GL a day and rising – rates not seen in decades.

As authorities admit they’re unsure just how much water is coming down the river, SES chief executive Chris Beattie warned some towns in the lower-river sections cannot be protected.

“We’ve got a number of communities right across the upper Riverland areas, Murraylands, and down in the lower-river sections that will either become fully inundated or completely isolated,” he said.

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“Whether that’s Paisley or Younghusband – we’re working with those communities to ensure households are prepared – (that) they have a plan, they know when they’re going to leave.

“And if they choose to stay (that) they’re aware of the consequences of being isolated from power resupply, and potentially access to sewerage. So we’re messaging strongly with those communities.”

He said authorities were examining options for alternative access routes.

“For these sorts of high flows, this flooding, there’s an inevitability there will have been low-lying communities and properties on the floodplain that just simply cannot be protected,” Mr Beattie said.

“The important thing for those communities to understand when they need to leave – what the last safe moment is – to prepare their properties, secure valuables, relocate their property to either high ground or out of the floodplain.”

Mr Beattie said underprepared property owners were the reason rubbish such as BBQs or outdoor furniture was washing down the river.

“There are things that households and businesses can do in advance to reduce the amount of waste and rubbish following an event – prepare early to relocate their furniture, equipment and valuables to either higher ground or away from the property,” he said.

“A lot of the rubbish we’re seeing is because people haven’t prepared properly.”

If flows reach 200GL a day, the water level at Lock 5 near Renmark is forecast to hit about 18.8m.

More than 5000 properties at risk of flooding have been doorknocked, with about 1100 still occupied – 647 intend to remain once flooding starts.

People were warned those intending to stay run the risk of debris, poor water quality and raw sewage problems.

Gallery: Dramatic flood photos as threat rises

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Authorities are no longer talking about two peaks, saying two flows are merging together.

“We were never talking about a subsiding of waters,” Emergency Services Minister Joe Szakacs said.

“The single peak is likely to be in late December – these waters will be high well into 2023.”

He said the government’s preparations were “well within range” to support the Riverland community.

The government has secured hundreds of dwelling, Mr Szakacs said, for families, couples and singles – but was also preparing for residents who had intended to stay but may change their minds.

Senior Water Department executive Ben Bruce said different sections of Renmark would experience different levels of water – and that more water was coming down the system than was being recorded.

The river is far wider at points than it used to be – 6km compared with 150m.

“Because the water has spread out so much at the border, a significant volume of flow is bypassing the river where the gauges are measured, which is resulting in the calculated flow at the border being underestimated,” Mr Bruce said.

But he said it didn’t affect flow modelling predictions.

“In fact it increases our confidence in them, as the revised calculation of flow at the border better aligns with our forecasts and actual river levels being observed around Renmark.

He said teams were out in the field, taking spot measurements to verify.

“But where we’re modelling seems to be fitting in quite well with what we’ve projected and what we’re seeing on the ground,” he said.

“Seeing the 1974 flows levels in Renmark is a reasonable replication of about where we are – noting the flows are probably a little bit lower there just because there is some things in the catchment that are probably pushing it up. That’s the thing about any flood modelling – there is a degree of uncertainty.”

Mannum Footy Club ditches training for sandbags

Meanwhile, a group of players from the Mannum Football Club have delivered a healthy dose of community spirit to the Murraylands, providing 400 sandbags to the local community as the flood emergency draws closer.

In a social media post on Facebook, the club announced 40 players turned out to pre-season training on Wednesday evening – only to hear there was a change to the schedule.

The players instead filled and delivered 440 sandbags, equating to nine tonnes in 40 minutes.

The sandbags are expected to be supplied to areas in need as water levels continue to rise in the region.

A press conference on the Murray flood situation is expected later on Thursday.

Players from Mannum Football Club filled and delivered sandbags as part of their pre-season training. Picture: Mannum Football Club

The group produced more than 400 sandbags in 40 minutes. Picture: Mannum Football Club

Flood preparation is well and truly underway in the township, with a temporary levee beginning to take shape down the main street.

Premier Peter Malinauskas inspected the site on Monday as plans to begin digging up the bitumen were set for Tuesday.

Mid Murray chief executive officer Ben Scales said Randell St businesses and houses at the lower end of the road had been evacuated and the road would be closed from tomorrow as the machinery moves in. He said the levee was expected to be completed in four days.