Unusual year sees more Hume Dam releases

MDBA acting River Management executive director Dr Andrew Kremor said water 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 percent. But by mid-August, it had reached 90pc 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 percent with just over 166 gigalitres of airspace."

The MDBA had released flows as high as 19 GL per day and they would continue to fluctuate, he said.

"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," Dr Kremor said.

"The MDBA operates Hume Dam in accordance with the rules set by state governments. That means our priority is keeping the dam safe, capturing and storing water and, where we can, mitigating floods."

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Having relatively high storages at both Hume and Dartmouth Dam in early winter meant there was 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," Dr Kremor said.

.The Bureau of Meteorology is responsible for issuing flood warnings to the public. Check www.bom.gov.au/australia/warnings for up-to-date flood warnings in your area.

For more information about how dams are managed to reduce the impact of flooding visit: How are dams being managed to reduce the impact of flooding? | Murray-Darling Basin Authority (mdba.gov.au)