Air Space Releases.
Our weirs on the Murrumbidgee have reached breaking point, with the Burrinjuck Dam sitting on 101.3% and rising 2% a day.
And the Blowering Dam is sitting on 98.7 and only rising .1% a day, so there is not much room for a thunder storm.
When we have bugger-all water, they do not seen to worry about the consequences of wasting water.
Blind Freddy could see weeks ago that they had to start to let water out. They would let a few thousand megs out here and a few thousand megs out there.
But they seemed to be scared to let any more than a few thousand megs out at a time.
I know it is not ideal for the environment to get it at this time of the year. But that is what would be happening if our weirs were not there, I said a few weeks ago in the paper.
They should just grow some balls and make air space and fill the wetlands up. Mother Nature does not always do things at the same time of the year.
Unfortunately the only air space at the moment is in the heads of those that run our rivers. Now they are aiming at 45 to 50,000 megs a day past Wagga to give them some breathing space.
I do not know what this does for flooding heights along the river. But I do not think they have got the Murrumbidgee to 30,000 megs at Wagga up until now.
Burrinjuck went up 13% in a few days a month ago when I started to write about this. What do you do with 130,000 megs when the weir is at 101.3% and the other one is at 98.7%?
Good luck with that. I suppose, if it did not rain, they would be heroes for keeping our weirs full.
It has rained like every forecast said it would. The Billabong has not flooded since 1974.
So, I am looking forward to seeing what happens on the Hay Plains in a flood. The ‘Weather According To Jack’ got a couple of things wrong this year.
He did say it would rain, but the rain came later than predicted. (I tried to explain that to my sheep).
One thing Jack has always predicted this year is minor floods in the Murrumbidgee and good inflow for the Murray.
Looks like we are going to get them both. Let’s just hope they stay at minor floods.
Things Getting Cancelled.
Due to our friend Covid, all classes at our gallery in town have been cancelled. Our Cultivate Ball, run by the Young Country Networkers, has also been cancelled.
Bugger, I was looking forward to that.
Footy and netball are also gone at the moment. Fire brigade AGMs are being postponed.
Plus, plenty of other things because they do not know how to stay home and obey the rules in Sydney.
I have always reckoned the idea of a Riverina State was a load of crap.
But at the moment it could work.
Keeping People Warm.
Our Moulamein Men’s Shed mob do a bit of work with timber. Red gum mainly. They cut their good stuff up for their projects, but they always end up with a heap of off cuts.
They have found out who has a wood fire in town and are a bit past using a chainsaw. So they drop the off cuts off to deserving people around town for their firewood.
Well done again to our Moulamein Men’s Shed, you go above and beyond the call of duty.
If you are cold and you are old, get in touch with someone from the Men’s Shed.
If you do not know who they are, tell our Bush Nurse and she will get in touch with them for you.Bubble Getting Smaller.I hate to give my mate Dodgy Dan a compliment. But Victoria is now almost COVID-free and us in NSW are stuffed.
No-one in Sydney knows how to stay home and obey the rules. Hay is now out of our bubble, so is Wagga and Lockart as well as the Murrumbidgee Shire.
I think Dodgy Dan has finally got it right. Mind you, I did not have to go through another lockdown and watch my business go down the gurgler.
Well done to Victoria. You can ramp up again. Until the next stuff up at least.
I was droving sheep on the road today. Met a couple of Victorians heading home after being up in northern NSW.
They can only go as far as Barham at the moment until they are allowed back home. Strange times in which we live.
Working Dog Workshop.
This workshop will be held on August 31 and September 1. It will be run by a feller called Ian O’Connell.
There will be a cost to this workshop, but at the time of writing, I have not found that out.
I think it costs more if you bring your dog. They want to train the owners, not the dogs.
Give it some thought. More information when it becomes available.
Rain.
July has been another good month for rain. I think I got to around 27mm for the month so far. Keeps everything nice and wet until the big one.
With a bit of warm weather this week the feed should really get up and going.
At the moment the green is only painted on. Next week we will get some worthwhile feed going.River Levels.Our Edward River has hit over 2600 megs a day and a very healthy 2.38 meters and rising.
There is just over 1,600 meters at Deniliquin so the Edward may drop a bit.
The Billabong is around 700 megs a day so this should hold our levels up.
There is plenty more coming down the Billabong and plenty up the top of the Edward.
Only five weeks to get that cod you have always wanted to catch. Get out there and have a go.
