Hume Dam releases of up to 95 gigalitres a day would have "significant" consequences for many farmers downstream, says Barham grazier Lloyd Polkinghorne who predicted a worse flood outcome for the Border region this year than in 1956.
Mr Polkinghorne, who is deputy chairman of the Speak Up Campaign, said the floodwater impact had been reduced for some farmers who were building their own levees but others had been forced to move their sheep off their properties.
"Some of the rural communities are having devastating floods; north of Barham out towards Mellool they're having massive trouble with flooding," he said.
"Farmers were building their own levees upstream of Torrumbarry where they built 20 kilometres worth of levee.
"There's an awful lot of that going on - there's been farmers getting excavators to repair banks, and during floods it's the worst time to do it because when it's wet you make a great mess."
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Mr Polkinghorne said the water level of the Murray River at Barham had exceeded levels seen in 1956.
"We got close to the worst one on record for Barham which is 1917," he said.
"In 1917 it was 6.223m, the latest recorded here is 6.215m but that's dropping now."
Mr Polkinghorne said the level of the Hume had raised concerns about the stability of the structure.
"The Hume Dam has 12 gates open now - there always is the potential for them to open more, it depends on the rainfall and inflows and whether they're making any headway," he said.
"During the early 90s when it filled at one stage it actually started to move and they were concerned about the stability of it and that's certainly going to be a consideration I would have thought with how full things are.
The junction where the Edward River meets the Wakool has been the biggest hotspot in the past week.
"With 95 gigalitres a day being released now, that will make a significant impact on the Edward-Wakool river system - that's higher than the 2016 releases," he said.
"When the water comes through the Barmah Choke, it's typically divided 60 per cent to the Edward-Wakool and 40 per cent coming down the Murray."
The choke is a narrow section of the Murray River that runs through the Barmah-Millewa Forest.
"The flows down the Murray have been counted at 35,000 megalitres from those releases," he said. "Where the junction between the Edward and the Wakool is getting really serious - down around Goodnight, farmers there are facing water levels that they've never seen before."
