River communities prepare for isolation and long road commutes as rising floodwaters put several ferries out of action
River Murray communities are preparing for isolation and long road commutes when rising floodwaters put nearly all Riverland ferries out of action.
SA News
Don't miss out on the headlines from SA News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Communities along the River Murray will find themselves stranded or facing long road commutes to get to work, school and medical care when rising floodwaters put several ferries out of action.
The ferries, which allow cars and trucks to get from one side of the river to the other, are a crucial transport link along the Murray, with few bridges linking riverside communities.
Information obtained from the Department for Infrastructure and Transport said the Waikerie crossing was likely to be the first ferry to close.
A spokesperson for the department said the Waikerie crossing; “is unable to operate if the river depth exceeds 9.2m Australian Height Datum, which is expected to occur if water flows increase to between 95 gigalitres per day and 100 gigalitres per day.”
The current water flow in South Australia is currently at 85 gigalitres a day, with predictions tipping 135 gigalitres predicted as water continues to enter the system from the eastern states.
“The Morgan and Lyrup ferries are expected to be inoperable if river flows increase to 120 gigalitres,” the spokesperson said.
“Swan Reach, Mannum (upstream and downstream) and Walker Flat ferries are at risk of closure between 120 gigalitres and 130 gigalitres per day.
“Cadell ferry is the lowest-risk ferry in terms of shutting down due to having the highest ramps.”
It is believed Purnong ferry could also be affected, but ferries further downstream at Tailem Bend, Wellington and Narrung are likely to remain operational at predicted flow levels.
Member for Chaffey, which takes in the upper and middle reaches of the Murray, Tim Whetstone said the ferry closures would be disastrous for local communities and in many cases will see people commuting for hundreds of kilometres to access services they need.
“It will hit everyone, ambulances, police, heavy vehicles transporting goods for packaging, what are school buses and people who live on one side of the river but work on the other going to do?’’ he said.
He said there was “no sense of urgency’’ from the state government in planning for the problem, and criticised what he said was a slow response to the poor condition of levee banks at Renmark and other locations.
“We also have looming pressures on levee banks, not just at Renmark, there are banks in all towns right down the river and if we keep getting rain we will not be able to access the levee banks to repair them,” Mr Whetstone said.
“If that happens we will be looking at an Echuca.’’
He said the $3 million the government had allocated last week for levee repairs was “nowhere near enough’’ for the remediation work that needed to be completed rapidly.
“I can see a potential trainwreck coming. They keep saying we have four to five weeks, well that is not true. If we get the forecast rain it might be all over because we won’t be able to access the levee banks to fix them.’’
Riverland Mallee Coorong Local Health Network chief executive officer Wayne Champion said the Renmark Paringa District Hospital was the only facility in the RMCLHN that could be impacted by flooding from the Murray River.
“We have contingency plans in place, which we are reviewing in light of the forecast river levels for late November and into December. At this stage it is not clear that the river level will get to a point where our plans need to be activated, however we are monitoring the river level forecasts with interest,’’ he said.
“We are liaising with aged care residents at Renmark Paringa District Hospital and their families about our plans and will continue to engage with them regarding specific plans for individual aged care residents as planning progresses. We have the capacity to accommodate aged care residents in other RMCLHN-operated facilities.
“In the event of flooding from the River Murray, we will continue to have road access between our health facilities and metropolitan hospitals. The road between Loxton and Berri may be impacted by flooding, in which case an alternate route is available via the Moorook Road and Sturt Highway.
“Services at Loxton Hospital Complex would not be impacted in the event of flooding to the region due to its elevated position. The Complex includes a fully functioning Emergency Department and birthing services that would continue to operate as normal.’’
Mid Murray Mayor Dave Burgess said he was quite concerned by the prospect of ferries becoming unusable.
“This could be quite devastating for people living on the other side of the river,” Mr Burgess said.
“But they won’t all go out, so it might be a case of driving up to another ferry that is working.”
Renmark Paringa Mayor Neil Martinson said should the Lyrup ferry close it would cause a great deal of inconvenience for people in the area.
“And if we get to 135 (gigalitres a day) then the Berri-Loxton road would go too, so people going from Berri going to work in Loxton and vice versa would have to go around via Moorook,” Mr Martinson said.
“That would add another 40 minutes to the trip. At the end of the day this is part and parcel of country life and living on the River Murray.”
Loxton Waikerie Mayor Leon Stasinowsky said ferry closures would be a great inconvenience, especially in Waikerie.
“We’re lucky that we have bridges at Kingston and Blanchetown. If the flow gets to 140,000 the bridge at Berri might be unusable. Then the ferry at Lyrup would have to be used, or the bridge at Kingston. This would be a hell of a imposition for people travelling between Loxton and Berri.”
Faye Horstmann has been driving the ferry at Mannum for 17 years, and said ferry workers still didn’t know what would happen when the punts stopped operating.
“We still haven’t been told what’s happening and whether or not we’ll be paid,” Ms Horstmann said.
More Coverage
Originally published as River communities prepare for isolation and long road commutes as rising floodwaters put several ferries out of action
Teen bailed after alleged stabbing in quiet suburban street
A teenager has been bailed after allegedly stabbing a man believed to be his mother’s former partner.
Huge queues for fuel as monster blackout pushes town to brink
Schools have been closed, mine workers stood down and the local hospital shifted to emergency mode as Broken Hill continues to wait for the lights to come back on.