Farmers downstream of Lake Hume are on notice to move livestock and equipment to higher ground after the Murray-Darling Basin Authority warned it could fill “within two to three weeks”.
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But South Albury farmers Byron and Daryl Gray, whose property is on the Murray, stressed water needed to be released now before it reached capacity to avoid a more serious flood.
“No decisions are made at Hume Weir – they’re made in Canberra,” Daryl told The Border Mail.
“There should be some flood mitigation, because it’s not going to be a dry spring.”
His brother Byron echoed the sentiment and was worried about a flood damaging his crops.
“The (MDBA) could be a bit more pro-active,” he said.
“Why don’t they let it out now?”
MDBA river management executive director David Dreverman told The Border Mail capacity was at 77 per cent and rising fast – similar to a situation in October 2010, when 1000 gigalitres flowed into the weir in a week.
“We’re only that sort of event away from a reasonable spill, because we’re down to around 650 gigalitres of airspace (on Tuesday), and we’re losing 20-25 a day,” he said.
“If we get enough rain to keep the inflow at the current rate, within two to three weeks we will be full, and we would’ve started spilling before we’re full.”
The dam has risen from 18 per cent capacity in April at a rate of almost 10 per cent a week this month.
The MDBA considers it full at 99 per cent but Mr Dreverman said they would start releasing water before it reaches this point.
“Before we get to full, depending on how many weeks time it is, we will start to slow the filling rate, which means increasing the release,” Mr Dreverman said.
“The river has already been half full or a bit more with only water coming out of the Kiewa.
“The minute we tip a even relatively small additional flow on top of the Kiewa flow, the flow will go overbank.”
Mr Dreverman was confident landholders from the weir to Yarrawonga would take the necessary precautions.
Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Rod Dickson confirmed falls upwards of 10mm were forecast Tuesday night into Wednesday over the Upper Murray.
“Probably reaching about 30mm in the upper parts of the catchment,” he said.
