THE State Emergency Service at Moulamein yesterday brought in another 50,000 sandbags as the distrct braced itself against rising floodwaters.
Moulamein SES controller Neil Whelan said 44,000 sandbags had already been stockpiled in potential trouble spots.
Mr Whelan said the main flood risk areas would be Cunninyeuk, Mellool and Mallan, with the Wakool River expected to cause more problems than the Edward.
Sandbag stockpiles have been created at:
Koraleigh, Wakool Council depot;
Koraleigh, Alan Box’s garage;
Speewa Island, Paul Jager’s property;
Murray Downs, Jim Crowe’s grain shed;
Mellool, Rodney Dunn’s property;
Murrabit, Geoff Mcdonald;
Barham, Wakool Council depot;
Wakool, Wakool Council depot.
Yesterday further sandbag stockpiles were created at R.Glenn’s Edward Park property at Dhuragoon and at W.Craig’s Riversleigh property at Niemur.
Mr Whelan said if more sandbags were needed, there were about 300,000 at Diniliquin, which could be transported already filled on pallets to the Moulamein district.
Anyone wishing further information should contact Moulamein SES on (058) 87-5105, or Mr Whelan at the Wakool Council office on (058) 87-5007.
Recent heavy rain in the Koraleigh, Mellool and Speewa areas of Wakool Council caused severe damage and inconvenience.
And high flood levels along the Wakool River and Merran and Coobool creeks have damaged roads and cut resident’s access.
Roads in the areas which had rainfalls from 110mm to 135mm were cut by stormwater flowing over lower sections.
Substantial restoration work was carried out by Wakool Council works staff last week to re-open Prentice Road and Lake Poomah-Stony Crossing Road.
Work remains to be done to open other roads in the Koraleigh area.
Sustained pumping by landholders and in some cases shire workmen was carried out on Speewa Island, Koraleigh and Goodnight.
Scouring of gravel roads was some of the most severe ever encountered.
Moulamein SES, assisted by landholders and council staff and in some instances by SES from Kerang and Swan Hill, have sandbagged levees, rescued 3000 sheep on a Cunninyeuk property and a smaller number from a Gee Gee property and inspected levees.
Flood levels on the Wakool River and Coobool Creek system have been similar to the 1975 level, but higher levels are expected with the next rise in the Murray River.
While Moulamein expects to experience little difficulty with the rise in the Edward River, due to relatively low levels in the Billabong Creek, both the Niemur and Wakool systems will have serious flooding.
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