The weir pool on the River Murray at Mildura will return to its usual level over the coming week as work to reinstate the Mildura weir nears completion.
The weir’s 24 trestles have now been successfully re-installed by Goulburn-Murray Water, supporting a steady rise in the river to full supply level commencing later this week.
Murray-Darling Basin Authority Executive Director of River Management, Andrew Reynolds, said GMW crews had been working around the clock to get the weir back in.
“With the trestles re-installed, there is further work to be done before the boards begin to be put back in later this week, which will enable us to start to refill the weir pool,” Mr Reynolds said.
“When the boards are back in, people should expect to see the river level rise upstream of the weir.
“We understand how important the river is to community and industry and want to thank everyone on both sides of the river for their patience. It’s been a testing time, coping with flood waters and then the time needed to safely return our river infrastructure to full working order.”
GMW has commenced the necessary inspections and assessments to restore Lock 11 and anticipate that the lock will be open in late February.
No river users will be permitted to pass through this section of the river until works are complete.
The Mildura weir was removed from the river in September 2022 to allow flood waters to pass through unobstructed and minimise the risk of damage to the infrastructure.
Mr Reynolds said that WaterNSW crews had reinstated the Wentworth weir, with the weir pool reaching full supply level late last week, and inspections would commence shortly to reinstate Lock 10. At Euston, Lock 15 was expected to reopen to all river users in the coming week, and the weir pool would be raised to full supply level once current works were complete.
River pumpers and houseboat operators in the region are advised to continue monitoring river levels closely during this period.
