Agriculture
17 August, 2023
Better reservoir flood management needed: Trimble
SOUND proactive management of water levels at Cairn Curran reservoir would help avoid a repeat of last October’s Loddon River floods, the Victorian Parliament flood inquiry has been told by Newbridge’s Ron Trimble. His submission to the inquiry...
SOUND proactive management of water levels at Cairn Curran reservoir would help avoid a repeat of last October’s Loddon River floods, the Victorian Parliament flood inquiry has been told by Newbridge’s Ron Trimble.
His submission to the inquiry calls for “reducing water levels based on weather forecasts allowing more time for early water release to reduce flood levels” with future reservoir management again including reasons for its construction over 10 years to 1956 - flood mitigation, irrigations and town water security.
“Capacity of Cairn Curran at 96 per cent leaves no opportunity for flood mitigation given the catchment area. The main gate was not opened until late the day prior to the flood suggests to me that none of the forward rain forecasts were considered and rainfall data was not analysed to understand what the water levels were going to be and affectively leaving the Loddon River in an uncontrolled state,” he has said, claiming there was no mitigation last October.
The Legislative Council inquiry will hold hearings in Echuca on August 24. Loddon Shire Mayor Dan Straub has been called to speak at the inquiry.