The Murray-Darling Basin Authority is creating airspace at Hume Dam as irrigation demands decrease and the wetter months approach.
MDBA Executive Director of River Management Andrew Reynolds said water levels in Hume Dam are higher than usual for this time of year following widespread flooding last year.
“We have been managing releases at Hume Dam to meet demands downstream, however these demands are reducing as the irrigation season draws to a close and the water level in the dam is beginning to rise.”
“This week we will begin generating airspace in the dam ahead of wetter months with initial releases at relatively low rates and well within the channel capacity downstream of the dam.
“Hume Dam is currently at 91% capacity and Dartmouth is at 96%. Airspace management releases will continue at Dartmouth Dam at low rates.
“Given the relatively high storages at both Hume and Dartmouth dams heading into winter, airspace releases are important to help mitigate the risk of flooding in the weeks and months ahead.
“While the Bureau of Meteorology’s long term weather forecast paints a drier picture over winter than recent years, we want to remind those living downstream of the dams to always be flood ready.”
The MDBA works in close collaboration with the Bureau to ensure we have the latest information on rainfall and inflows to determine how to best manage the dam both in the short and long term.
Further updates will be provided in coming weeks taking into consideration the impact of any further rainfall on forecast inflows and demands.
The MDBA operates Hume Dam in accordance with the rules set by state governments. That means our priority is keeping the dam safe, capturing and storing water and, where we can, mitigating floods.
