The following can be attributed to Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) Executive Director of River Management Andrew Reynolds:
The Murray-Darling Basin Authority is reminding those who live downstream of Hume Dam to be flood ready as we enter the wettest period for southern Basin catchments.
The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting rain in the Hume Dam catchment in coming days, with high totals possible.
The MDBA has been pre-releasing water from the dam to create airspace since May, and we have close to 250 gigalitres of airspace available to capture the inflows.
However, if rainfall is more intense or totals are greater than forecast, significant runoff could be generated, with a risk of flooding both upstream and downstream of Hume Dam as these inflows would be passed through the dam and downstream.
Hume Dam is currently 92 per cent full.
River operators continue to work around the clock to assess new inflow and weather information and to manage releases accordingly. This includes close collaboration with WaterNSW and the Bureau of Meteorology to get the most up-to-date rainfall and inflow forecasts.
The MDBA’s priority is keeping the dam safe, capturing and storing water and, where we can, mitigating floods.
