Properties along the Lower Darling-Barka and Great Darling Anabranch rivers are expected to be inundated.
Access to some houses in the township of Menindee will be cut off, and some roads in the town will be closed as flood levels increase.
Houses in Menindee will not be inundated above floor level unless releases increase above 24,000ML, according to modelling by the Department of Planning and Environment.
According to the latest WaterNSW operations update, releases from Menindee Lakes will increase from 18,000ML to 23,000ML over coming days and will be held at 23,000ML for “at least” two to three weeks.
The increased releases are necessary to make space in Menindee Lakes – which were at 113 per cent capacity today – after widespread rain in the northern Murray Darling Basin, according to WaterNSW.
Menindee resident Graeme McCrabb said WaterNSW had delayed increasing releases from Menindee Lakes for too long.
“They’ve taken too long to get to this point. By not making airspace in the lakes, we are going to end up with a much higher flow, and they are going to put more properties underwater,” he said.
Mr McCrabb said he expected releases to increase to 25,000ML in coming weeks to make space for a large volume of water travelling towards Menindee Lakes from Queensland and northern NSW.
“At 25,000ML, houses come very close to going under, and that’s when people have to move out,” he said.
“We’re almost at that point, and we didn’t have to be here. If there had been well-planned and well-managed releases (before now).”
Menindee resident Graeme McCrabb said WaterNSW has waited too long to increase releases from Menindee Lakes.
Menindee residents and farmers on the Lower Darling-Barka and Anabranch rivers have been calling on WaterNSW to increase releases from Menindee Lakes for weeks.
WaterNSW plans to increase releases from Menindee Lakes gradually, starting this Friday. Releases are expected to reach 23,000ML by June 5.
The agency in a statement said it would “continue to monitor flows in the Barwon Darling system and weather events over the coming weeks and will continue to advise the community and stakeholders if there are any significant changes to forecast conditions”.
South West Water Users chairman Howard Jones said, ideally, he would like to see releases from Menindee Lakes reach 25,000ML to properly cover the Lower Darling-Barka flood plains.
But in the meantime, he was “very happy” with 23,000ML, which he said would benefit both graziers and the environment.
“It means you’ll get water in a good many of the wide, flat creek systems that come off the Lower Darling,” Mr Jones said.
“It will start to reach the upper box (tree) flood plain and the lignan.
“The creeks spread out into lagoons and it covers a lot of country. Feed will grow (for sheep), and critters, birds and bees will all be happy.”
South West Water Users chairman Howard Jones said graziers and the environment would benefit from the flood. Picture: Else Kennedy
Else Kennedy @elsekennedy May 25, 2022 - 12:34PM