Hume Dam: Downstream farmers concerned about winter flooding

Murray River farmer Richard Sargood is voicing his fear of being beneath a close-to-capacity Hume Dam after the MDBA began increasing releases from storage.

Landowners below Hume Dam have renewed fears of flooding being even worse than 2016 after the Murray Darling Basin Authority began increasing releases from the major storage today.

Six years ago Murray River farmers had to deal with flooded paddocks for weeks when they accused the MDBA of botching attempts to manage the amount of airspace in the dam before big rain arrived in the spring.

MDBA acting executive director of river management Dr Andrew Kremor said releases were increasing from 600-megalitres per day due to a perfect storm of factors – presently high storage levels, downstream demand dropping and the start of the peak inflow period.

“We are aiming to provide a buffer against large rain events and reduce the risk of flooding over winter,” Dr Kremor said.

But Corowa farmer and Murray River Action Group chairman Richard Sargood said he feared “mammoth flooding” this winter.

“This has got 2016 written all over it, possibly even worse,” he said.

“Hume is at 89 per cent and Dartmouth is at 93 or 94 per cent.

“Anything approaching average inflows from here on in is going to result in significant flooding.”

In 2016, the Hume Dam level rose sharply from heavy winter rain, but the storage has been close or at capacity for months.

The MDBA has the highest amount of water in its storages at this time of the year for the first time since 2000.

It is about 4100GL more than this time last year.

Hume Dam spillway in September last year. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Simon Dallinger

The MDBA can’t start releases to create additional airspace unless there was a “very high” chance the dam would fill before demand exceeded inflows.

“These decisions are based on long-term average inflows and a worst-case scenario that conditions will turn dry, which at this stage appears unlikely,” Dr Kremor said.

“We expect the releases we make now will have no impact on the security of water supply from the Hume Dam down the track.

“Rain falling in the Upper Murray this week means there is a chance that we will increase releases further, depending on how much water flows into the dam.

“Catchments have dried out over autumn so it would take heavy rain or back-to-back events to wet them up again.

“Overbank flows in the Murray River downstream of Hume Dam require flows of 25,000 megalitres per day, and though we are still a long way from seeing that volume of water in the river, conditions can change quickly.”