Moulamein Notes
FROM now on, the 2022 flood will be the new 100-year flood level in the Edward River at Moulamein.
The old record was 6.094 metres, at time of writing we were sitting on 6.164m and rising. Most of the time, 70-odd millilitres is not much. But when it is water levels, six millilitres can be a lot. Stay safe out there.
Finally, the Edward seems to have peaked at Deniliquin, at just below 9.2m. That is a lot better than the 9.6 predicted.
This is not much higher than the last peak. But our Billabong Creek is mutating into a inland tsunami.
We have what I call land floods. They are a big rain event out on the Hay Plains that runs off and joins up with other water over hundreds of thousands of acres looking for the lowest point.
Unfortunately one started out at the Black Swamp near Booroorban, went through Caroonboon Station and into Bundy Station. Here it found the Euroly Creak that flows into our Billabong Creak.
There is about 10,000 megs going past Bundy on the gauge. We can only guess how much is coming out of the land flood, but it would be in the thousands of megs.
Our Billabong jumped from 10,000 to 13,000 megs over night at Camargo and still rising, because of a different land flood.
These land floods cannot be measured. They just keep flowing very slowly across the Hay Plains until they dry up or find a low spot.
There is another one farther north that is about half a metre deep creeping its way down hill.
I think this one is too far north to affect our river or town, but we will see.
Unfortunately, even though our Edward has started to drop, it will take 10 or so days for our Edward to start to drop here.
It is about 10 or so days for the water to come from Camargo to Moulamein.
This is the perfect storm as our little town only gets into flood problems when our two streams meet. Yep, that’s now.
Our town and district is in trouble, big trouble. I do not want to panic anyone, but please, if you are not willing or capable to isolate for a month or two, please leave town ASAP.
We have been guaranteed a 24-hour police presence in our town to look after the place while you are away.
I have high ground just out of town if you would like to park anything out there.
Do not leave your cars, caravans or anything else on low ground just in case this watery beast is bigger than we think.
The only advantage of our Billabong is that it is not a very big creek so it should hold some of the unknown water back and spread it out.
It’s been 50 years since this has happened. We are all to young to remember it. We only know the stories. At least this time there will be plenty of videos and photos to remember it.
Just remember, we are breaking records on our Edward and Billabong, make sure you mark the levels on your section of river. It could be used for half a century or more as a reference point.
I think it a good time to press that Panic Button.
We lost our first house
UNFORTUNATELY, one of our hobby farm houses went under due to a bank failure. Our thoughts are with those involved.
Still plenty of volunteers in town
THE volunteers in the yellow uniform running around town are with our Rural Fire Service (RFS) from all around our state and from interstate.
I have been told that they have really appreciated the cakes and slices that have been dropped into our RFS station.
Nothing beats country cooking when you have been working away from home.
No rain forecast
I THINK this is the first time in months that there is no rain forecast for the next week or so at the time of writing.
This does not seem to stop it showering every day, but there is nothing forecast. That is the big difference.
