Griffith City Council (GCC), Murrumbidgee Irrigation (MI) and the State Emergency Service (SES) have been conducting joint inspections of flood waters above the East Mirrool Regulator (EMR) in Yenda to assess and plan for the likely impacts of expected increased flows, as a result of last Friday’s substantial rainfall.
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MI Operations Manager Alan Shea said approved additional works are being undertaken on Tuesday afternoon to relieve the pressure of expected flows.
“This includes using airspace created in MI’s system throughout last week in order to help absorb any peak flows,” he said.
GCC Director of Utilities, Graham Gordon said that construction of a temporary spillway southeast of the EMR has been carried out to assist discharge of water directly south of the EMR in a controlled manner.
“This mitigation measure will handle the anticipated water flow expected from last Friday's rainfall and further forecasted rain,” he said.
There is ongoing communication with landholders downstream of the EMR including Widgelli and Benerembah. Monitoring is continuing with further increased flows expected in these areas. Customers backing onto Mirrool Creek in the Benerembah and Widgelli areas are asked to remain alert and plan for increased flows.
Contact is also being maintained with affected landholders below Barren Box Storage as 2000ML a day is being released through the floodway.
There are also concerns that water may encroach upon the Kidman Way between Griffith and Darlington Point and motorists are being urged to use caution in the area.
The SES will continue to monitor the situation and will issue further flood advice if required. For further information see the NSW SES Murrumbidgee Region Facebook page or the Griffith City Council website. For up-to-date road closures information see www.livetraffic.com.
If you are in need of emergency help as a result of any flooding contact the local SES by calling 132 500.
