MDBA acting executive director of river management Andrew Kremor said levels in Hume Dam had been consistently high all year, and river operators had carefully managed releases in accordance with inflows and Bureau of Meteorology forecasts.
“It’s been an unusual year,” Dr Kremor said.
“This time last year the dam was only half-full at just 51 per cent. But by mid-August, it had reached 90 per cent and has hovered there ever since.
“We are generating airspace in the dam as we enter the wetter months. At the moment, Hume Dam is at 94 per cent with just over 166 gigalitres of airspace.
“This week the release of water has been as high as 19GL per day and will continue to fluctuate.
“We work in close collaboration with the Bureau of Meteorology 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.
“Over the past month rainfall and soil moisture in the catchment have been average for this time of year, and average to above-average inflows are forecast for the coming months.
“Having relatively high storages at both Hume and Dartmouth Dam in early winter means there is an increased chance of flooding in the weeks and months ahead. We want to remind those living downstream of the dams to be flood ready.”
