News

Lower river set for Easter weekend camping

By Darren Linton

Mar 25, 2021

The Murray-Darling Basin Authority says cooler weather and above average rainfall will likely cause a drop in demand for irrigation and more water will be held back in the Hume Dam.

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“Visitors who traditionally flock to the Murray region over Easter will be looking forward to returning after having missed out last year due to the COVID-19 restrictions,” MDBA's acting chief executive Andrew Reynolds said.

“While you might expect rain to increase flows in the river, especially from tributaries such as the Ovens and the Kiewa, these inflows will provide enough water for downstream users which means we will release less water from Hume Dam. As a result, the river is likely to remain at reduced levels for the coming days.”

The forecast is for drier weather leading up to Easter, but water demand is expected to continue to ease.

“Hume Dam is in a much healthier state this year at 48 per cent capacity, compared to 16 per cent at the same time last year, but we clearly have a lot of space left to fill,” Mr Reynolds said.

“We’ll take every opportunity we can to increase the volume of water in storage to maximise the amount of water available to water users and communities. Every drop counts.”

Irrigators and other water users along the river are reminded to remain alert to changing conditions and adjust their pumps as necessary as the river height varies.