PROPERTIES in the lower reaches of the Loddon River catchment are being challenged by moderate flooding.
Excavator operators worked frantically on Wednesday to plug two major breaches in floodbanks along the river.The first breach was detected by a farmer during a ground inspection downstream of Bowdens Bridge on Wednesday morning and the the second at Hickey Lane near Benjeroop was observed from a helicopter at about 5.30pm.
Flood warden Lindsay Schultz said it would have been disastrous if the second breach, which was several metres wide, went undetected through the night.
“It was bloody lucky we got onto it,” he said.
“We had three excavators there working on it and we finished at about midnight.”
Mr Schultz said the river had peaked at Bowdens Bridge, but was still rising at Benjeroop, with the peak expected across the weekend.
The Benjeroop community bore the brunt of the disastrous 2011 floods.
Gannawarra Shire Council infrastructure director Geoff Rollinson said local residents, council staff and emergency services were closely monitoring flood banks on the Lower Loddon.
“There is a lot of pressure on levees between Capels Crossing and Benjeroop,” he said.
“Water will sit up on those banks for a long time, so flood wardens and the SES are monitoring them closely.”
Mr Rollinson said more pressure would be applied to both Loddon and Murray River levees as the peaks converged.
“It will put pressure on the Murray in the Murrabit West area as the two rivers try to compete for the same real estate,” he said.
The Murray River at Barham appeared to have peaked at 6.07 metres yesterday, after fluctuating between 6.06 and 6.07 metres since Wednesday evening.
Mr Rollinson said levees were being monitored and some minor breaches had been repaired.
Incident Control Centre public information officer Jemma Nesbit-Sackville said local information had been invaluable in assisting the SES.
“It is shaping up to be comparable to September 1973,” she said.
Ms Nesbit-Sackville said a representative from the North Central Catchment Management Authority was currently modelling the impacts of converging peaks in the Loddon and Murray Rivers.
“If anyone sees significant seepage or a breach in a levee breach, call 132 500,” she said.
Meanwhile, a local resident has awoken to a nasty surprise, with about 15 centimetres of water flooding his house.
The property on the Kerang-Murrabit Road was flooded by water from the Barr Creek.
Mr Rollinson said the man was receiving support and was living with family.
