‘Contact with sewage can make people sick’: Victorian flood regions hit by gastro outbreaks
Residents of the flood-stricken Goulburn Valley have been dealt another blow as illness sweeps the region, sparking warnings.
Victoria
Don't miss out on the headlines from Victoria. Followed categories will be added to My News.
People in flood-ravaged communities in the Goulburn Valley have become “very sick” with gastro, sparking fears the outbreak could grow as rivers again rise in the area.
The SES stated “many” cases of gastroenteritis and diarrhoea had emerged and urged locals to avoid contact with floodwaters to prevent illness, and wash their hands after going to the toilet, before eating, preparing food and cleaning.
“Floodwaters may contain sewage and other toxic waste and can also overflow into your home,” the authority wrote.
“Contact with sewage can make people sick, so clean and disinfect any impacted areas.”
“Moderate” flooding is tipped to continue along Seven Creeks in Kialla West through the weekend following rainfall on Friday, according to the SES.
The waterway was steady at 5.21m on Saturday at 1pm – above the moderate level of 5m – and waters were slowly receding upstream at Euroa.
A fresh warning was issued about 2pm on Saturday for residents in Bunbartha, Kaarimba, and Mundoona following “severe water inundation”.
Areas north of Lords Rd, Buchanan Rd and up to Lock Garry Rd were reportedly under water, with only local traffic allowed in the area.
Authorities also advised that many septic tanks had failed and floodwaters were contaminated, and advised residents to avoid any contact.
Major flood warning issued for northwest
A major flood warning has been issued for the Murrabit West area in the state’s northwest as rising waters on the Murray River continue to wreak havoc.
Residents in low-lying areas have been told to take action, as flooding from the Murray and Loddon rivers affectts buildings and homes in the area.
The alert, which came through just after 3am Saturday, said Salue Rd, Dawe Rd, Flowerday Ln and sections of Murrabit West Rd were of particular concern.
Relief centres have been opened to affected residents in Swan Hill and Echuca.
Much of the state can expect a temporary reprieve from the persistent wet weather, with just 1-3mm of rain forecast for the city while other major towns should see little to no rainfall on Saturday.
Thomson Dam spills over
For the first time in more than 25 years, one of Victoria’s largest dams has begun spilling over.
Gippsland’s Thomson Dam, about three hours from Melbourne, is Melbourne Water’s biggest dam, holding about half the city’s water supply.
Victoria’s unprecedented rainfall over the past weeks has pushed the dam closer to full capacity, with wind pushing water over the spillway on occasion.
In a statement, Melbourne Water said the levels had reached the spillway.
“The reservoir is currently 100 per cent full and has reached the dam’s spillway for the first time since 1996,” Melbourne Water said.
“Spillways are designed to safely transfer excess water during extreme weather events or during prolonged periods of rainfall that cause a reservoir to fill.”
Melbourne Water warned residents and businesses downstream might notice high and faster water flow than usual, passing through towns including Sale and Walhalla.
The statement said water stores had been managed across the water supply network by “moving water between reservoirs and conducting controlled releases to manage high storage levels”.
“Water releases are an important part of streamflow to waterways and positively contribute to environmental outcomes,” Melbourne Water said.
“Greater Melbourne storages are in the best position they have been for a long time.
“Melbourne Water aims to have storages as full as possible before the start of future dry conditions and droughts to avoid the impacts water restrictions can have on the community.”
However, University of Melbourne Professor in Hydrology & Water Resources Rory Nathan said the dam posed no threat to nearby communities at this stage.
“The Thomson flows into Lake Wellington, and down through Gippsland Lakes and then out to sea. The major point of interest here is that the dam is full, the outflows at this point in time do not pose a flood risk,” he said.
“Current spills should not present a particular flood risk to downstream communities, the good news in this event is that Thomson Dam is now full and its stored water will provide us with water supplies for drinking and irrigation in future years when we might be in drought.”
He did stress, however, that the current climate situation needs to be addressed.
“Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of both droughts and floods - we need to think of the climate crisis as a large shift in the variability of these events, and not in terms of a small shift in average temperatures,” he added.
“We are in our third back-to-back La Nina event, and our catchments are saturated - this means that runoff rates are unusually high, so most of the rainfall that falls on our catchments will end up as streamflow.”
The Thomson Dam has a storage capacity twice the size of Sydney Harbour and was constructed with the intention of surviving from one drought to the next.
The overflow of the dam comes as Victoria experiences extreme weather conditions across the state, including the major flooding events in Echuca, Shepparton, Rochester and Moama.
The Bureau of Meteorology have maintained major flood warnings for areas of the Murray River, with water levels exceeding previous flooding records.
Properties brace for flooding as rain continues
Melbourne’s outer eastern suburbs are set for a further drenching while close to a dozen properties are at risk of flooding around Healesville.
Up to 30mm or rain is forecast to fall across the city’s eastern suburbs on Friday with the heaviest falls expected for the Yarra and Dandenong ranges.
This area takes in Lilydale – hit by flash flooding earlier this week - Coldstream, Upper Ferntree Gully, Yarra Glen, Healesville, Warburton and Belgrave.
Watch and Act alerts have been issued for the Yarra River from Coldstream to Warrandyte and Coldstream to Millgrove.
A move to higher ground alert has been issued for the Watts River at Healesville where 11 properties – including the Healesville Bowling Club – are at risk of flood on Don and Donnellys Weir roads and River St.
Stay informed warnings are in place for the Yarra River from Warrandyte to Abbotsford and the Dandenong Creek.
What is shaping up to be the wettest October on record is set to bring more rain to Melbourne which is set to receive between 11mm to 32mm over the next week.
Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Christie Johnson said the Yarra and Dandenong ranges would receive the heaviest falls over the next week with between 10mm to 30mm possible on Monday and again Tuesday.
“We will see showers across the city but what we will see is the heaviest falls in the eastern suburbs,” she said.
“Those showers are already coming through the southeastern suburbs and there is also the band moving up over the west Geelong and Ballarat.”
Shops were flooded in Lilydale on Tuesday night as 70mm of rain fell on the suburb, about half of that in half an hour.
Ms Johnson said the intense rain was not expected to hit the city in the latest bout of wet weather, but warned sodden ground meant water had nowhere to go.
‘It shouldn’t be as bad as Tuesday, the main reason being we are not expecting thunderstorms with this system.”
“There will be reasonable amounts of rainfall accumulating but it doesn’t look like it will be falling in a really short amount of time.”
David Beckham shows who’s boss jock, stripping off in racy pics
He may be edging 50 but with a sculpted, inked body and stripped down to his jocks, soccer star David Beckham has set fans on fire with his latest photos. See what everyone is talking about.
Accused ‘Pam the Bird’ graffiti attacker unmasked
The alleged culprit behind the infamous Pam the Bird graffiti tags on Melbourne landmarks — including the Flinders Street Station clock — has been unmasked as a 21-year-old from Yarraville.