Authority begins water release

GOULBURN-MURRAY Water has started emptying water from Lake Eildon in response to predicted rain forecasts and the lake’s high capacity.

GMW’s general manager of water storage services Martina Cusack said staff will continue to keep an eye on the lake’s levels when releasing appropriate amounts.

“We have been closely monitoring storage levels and the rain forecast to determine if and when releases might be necessary,” she said.

“With Lake Eildon currently at 93 per cent capacity, and the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting a wetter than average spring, it is important we are proactive and slow the rise of the storage level.

“The releases from Lake Eildon will remain below minor flood levels. GMW will continue to monitor the flows into the storage and adjust the release rate as required.

“There is a fine balance between holding capacity to absorb further inflows, managing downstream impacts and ensuring that the storage is filled prior to downstream demands commencing.”

The release started on Friday when GMW upped the release flow to 2000 megalitres followed by 3000 megalitres on Saturday.