SOUTHERN Rural Water’s managing director, Cameron FitzGerald, has defended the time it took for the water authority to drain Lake Glenmaggie in response to criticism from locals, in the wake of flooding along the Macalister River.
Newry dairy farmer, Tim Dwyer, said the lake should have been drained earlier considering the weather forecast.
“When there was a major flood warning at Licola they only had 4500 megalitres being released,” Mr Dwyer told the ABC.
“That’s not acceptable. We’ve had a forecast for this rain for about a week now.”
But Mr Fitzgerald said that the weather conditions in the region had exceeded expectations.
“Two days ago we had bushfires, we are in an El Nino event and we do need water for people later in the season to be able to continue to grow their produce, fruit and vegetables and create milk,” he told the ABC.
“So we are always thinking about the full balance of how we manage this storage.”
ELSEWHERE, on Wednesday afternoon, Gippsland Water asked the public to avoid contact with Flooding Creek waterways, including the Port of Sale, until further notice.
Heavily diluted sewage has spilled from the Park Street sewer pump station in Sale following significant rainfall over October 3 and 4.
Gippsland Water has asked locals to avoid the area as a precautionary measure.
The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and Wellington Shire Council have been informed.
Crews are onsite managing the situation and are focused on minimising public impact as much as possible.
For more information and to stay up to date, visit gippswater.com.au/emergencies
A small lake developed next to the train line in Wurruk. Photo: Liam Durkin
Lake Guthridge inundated. Photo: Melissa Bone
Lake Guthridge rising rapidly on Wednesday. Photo: Melissa Bone
