WIMMERA farmers hit by last month's floods have estimated their losses at almost $2 million.
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The figure represents crop, stock and fencing losses on properties along the Wimmera River from Glenorchy to Longerenong.
A working group formed at a flood mitigation meeting at Taylors Lake last week where 23 landholders completed an anonymous flood damage survey.
Group member and meeting chairman Gordon Mills said the working group had requested a meeting with GWMWater and Wimmera Catchment Management Authority officials to discuss the extent of the damage.
Mr Mills said the group held the authorities partly responsible for the severity of the flood which he said could have been lessened if the Wimmera River had been cleared.
He said sections of the river including Longerenong Weir and Gross' Bridge were 'choked' with Melaleuca or honey myrtle shrubs and red gum saplings, which he said generated after environmental flows in summer.
"We still want environmental flows but they need to be run at the right time of year so as not to get so much growth," he said. "We also want the river cleared. If it had been done sooner the flooding wouldn't have been as severe and more water would have flowed on to Lake Hindmarsh."
Mr Mills said floodwaters broke levy banks on his property and would have flooded his home if not for his neighbour and brother-in-law sandbagging the area.
He said his property was on a floodplain but should not have been impacted to the extent it was.
"We accept floods do come through here on high flows but we don't accept the highest ever flood levels when the inflows weren't also record highs," he said. "I've still got parts of my property under water because it's come in and has nowhere to go. If this was better handled that water could be in a lake, rather than my backyard."
Mr Mills said the flood damage survey estimated 23 farmers had a total crop loss of $1.4 million, and a further 30 per cent loss was estimated for farmers not present at the meeting, bringing the total to $1.82 million.
He said people present also reported 13.2 kilometres of lost or damaged fences, worth $26,400 and the drowning of 152 sheep and one cow, worth $23,000.
"These are very significant numbers and most of it could have been avoided," he said. "A member of our group has already made it very clear, if GWMWater and the CMA don't want to listen, we will take this to the minister."
