Edward River: Moulamein flood emergency still not over

Moulamein has been placed under a flood emergency declaration as crop damage fears increase.

The Moulamein township has been placed under a flood emergency declaration amid rising concerns at the extent of damage to winter crops in the region.

Murray River Shire mayor Chris Bilkey said the short term challenge was reopening all five main roads into the southern NSW town.

The Barham Road has remained open to traffic only on a restricted basis, but floods destroying winter wheat and barley crops was his biggest fear.

“The township has suffered obviously, but the bigger economic loss is in the farming community,” Cr Bilkey said.

“There are so many crops that have been devastated.

“What hasn’t been flooded has been so difficult to get onto to harvest.”

1956 & 2022 Moulamein flooding at the crossroads just south of town. pic.twitter.com/WLK3H8I72Z

— Jeremy Morton 🌾🐑🚜🐂 (@Jeremy_Morton_) December 7, 2022

It’s believed to be the biggest flood in area since 1917 with the Edward River peaking at 6.23 metres a week ago.

Murray NSW SES late on Tuesday issued an “emergency area declaration” for the Edward River around Moulamein, between Woorooma Station and Berambong State Forest.

The stand-alone declaration follows the removal of the Edward River emergency area declaration on Monday for the length of the Edward River, from Picnic Point to Wakool Junction.

“NSW SES wants to ensure the safety of our communities, while balancing the expectations and needs of residents and businesses along the river systems,” NSW SES Southern Zone Incident Controller Mitch Parker said.

“The declaration was put in place to ensure the safety of infrastructure along the river system.”

Jeremy Morton on his Moulamein property in 2015. Picture: Andy Rogers

Moulamein farmer Jeremy Morton said the strength of private on-farm levees would be critical to minimising crop damage.

“If your levees have stood up and kept the water out the damage is minimal,” he said.

“But if your levee has failed then it’s catastrophic.

“The most important thing now as the flood water recedes is the recovery.

“People get on with it and do what they need to do.

“It’s more the public assets, the roads, the bridges, which are critical not only to the functioning of the local community, but the whole country.

“There will be the cost of repairing, plus also the inconvenience which is adding to freight costs.

“Everyone wears that.”

Dear Prime Minister @AlboMP, I'm inviting you to Moulamein in Southern NSW to get a first experience of what people are enduring in the current major catastrophic #flooding. pic.twitter.com/luuWLV3t2j

— Jeremy Morton 🌾🐑🚜🐂 (@Jeremy_Morton_) December 3, 2022

He said some rice crops were under more than a metre of water and estimated it would be more than a month before water was completely off local roads.

Cr Bilkey said the levee around Moulamein had held up well after recent strengthening works and hoped the worst of the flooding would end shortly with levels upstream at Deniliquin dropping.

“The town itself has been kept dry,” he said.

“But for the long-term impact on Moulamein it is all about the farming community.

“Once farmers don’t earn any income the town doesn’t earn any income.”