Following some heated protests last month, Goulburn-Murray Water (GMW) has released a new podcast episode to help keep the community informed about how water storages are managed.
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Many of the region's lakes, dams, and reservoirs are close to full capacity and residents gathered at Lake Eppalock in July to demand more water be released.
The fear is a a heavy rain event could see the dam spill and cause the Campaspe River to flood.
Rochester is still trying to recover after the October 2022 floods.
GMW Northern Victoria resource manager Dr Mark Bailey will feature in the latest Talking Water with GMW podcast and said the way storages were managed varied greatly.
"How GMW manages its storages depends on many things," he said.
"The key factors are the size of the storage, where the storage is located in the broader river catchment, and the actual infrastructure at the dam itself."
Most GMW's storages have fixed crest spillways, meaning once they reach full supply level, they simply begin to spill.
Lake Eildon, Cairn Curran and Lake Buffalo all have gated spillways, meaning there is a greater ability to control outflows from these storages.
However, Dr Bailey noted that fixed crest spillways, such as the one at Lake Eppalock, have a role to play during times of flood.
"Even at storages with fixed crest spillways, being full does not stop a storage from providing flood mitigation," he said.
"The spillways cause the water to back up and rise, and slow the rate that water moves downstream."
Recent years have seen considerable rainfall fill storages across the state. June 2023 was also a wetter than usual month, with inflows to Lake Eildon being recorded at three times the monthly average.
However, the Bureau of Meteorology's long-range forecast predicts a drier than average August to October, including a likely El Nino development.
"We know that drought and flood are both an inevitable part of our climate. Our storages cannot prevent either event, but they do lessen the impact of both," Dr Bailey said.
"We therefore need to manage against both situations, which is a significant balancing act."
You can listen to Dr Bailey discussing how water storages are managed via the GMW website: www.g-mwater.com.au/podcast
The GMW website also contains further information on how storages are managed: www.g-mwater.com.au/managing-storages
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