Water releases from Burrinjuck Dam are increasing to 98,000 megalitres a day following heavy rain in parts of New South Wales.
Key points:
- SES crews responded to more than 70 calls for assistance and carried out 10 rescues across inland NSW overnight
- The service is urging people not to make the "poor decision" to drive through floodwater
- Farmers on the Murrumbidgee River are preparing for imminent flooding in the Gundagai area
The dam began spilling this morning as more than 230,000ML – a quarter of its full capacity – flowed in from the 100mm of rain that fell in various tributaries overnight.
Water NSW said in a statement that flows from the Yass River into the dam were the "highest ever recorded".
Controlled outflows are set to continue for weeks until levels go down.
Farmers along the Murrumbidgee River at Gundagai are moving their stock to higher ground in preparation, with the river predicted to reach the major flood level of 9 metres by tomorrow morning.
No houses in the Gundagai township are expected to flood, with the Gundagai Caravan Park the only commercial property likely to be affected.
All the park's permanent cabins have been relocated off site and visitors have been evacuated.
Manager Jane Dean said it was the first time in seven years the cabins had had to be removed.
"In 2016 we escaped it. This time it's coming in further," she said.
"Over the last seven years we've joked about it, but this time it's serious.
"It has a huge impact on the business. This is our livelihood and after COVID and this, we can't take a trick at the moment."
The BOM is warning that moderate flooding is also possible at Wagga Wagga tomorrow afternoon.
Mr Griffiths said four rescues had been carried out.
"We have some low-lying water around the Temora area triggering some rescues for us," he said.
"It looks like people were driving and got cut off on the road."
Mr Griffith said warnings were in place for drivers to avoid flooded roads.
"If the road that you drive on normally does get flooding, assume that it is and drive the long way around," he said.
The SES is also deployed extra crews to Temora, which recorded 60mm of rain overnight.
Creeks north of the town are rising.
"We had a band of rain that passed through Ivanhoe and out past Cootamundra that brought, give or take, 20 to 30mm yesterday evening," incident controller Barry Griffiths said.
"That's stabilised overnight, but it produced 71 calls for assistance."
Woman found safe in Mudgee
Further north, a woman has been found safe after her vehicle was swept into flood waters in the New South Wales Central West overnight.
At 6.30pm yesterday emergency services were called to Macdonalds Creek at Erudgere, about 15 kilometres north-west of Mudgee, following reports that a vehicle had been swept into a causeway by flash floodwater.
A search and rescue operation led to the discovery of a vehicle submerged in the waterway.
Police were later notified a 59-year-old woman sought assistance at a nearby property in Piambong.
She has been taken to Mudgee Hospital for assessment.
The rescue was one of seven local SES crews responded to across the region.
Others occurred at Wellington, Gulgong, Ballimore, Coonabarabran and Coolah.
"Unfortunately, for the most part they were people who made the pretty poor decision to drive through flooded causeways and they've been stranded as a result," SES spokesperson David Rankin said.
"We have seen falls of between 50 and 60mm right across areas of the Central West," he said.
Mr Rankin said SES crews received more than 45 calls for assistance, many of which were related to strong winds.
"It's been a really busy night, thankfully the worst of the rain in the Central West has passed," Mr Rankin said.
"But we've still got flooding on the Castlereagh, Bell, upper and lower Macquarie rivers, the Bogan, the Darling, the Belubula."
The SES is also deployed extra crews to Temora, which recorded 60mm of rain overnight, as creeks north of the town rose.
"We had a band of rain that passed through Ivanhoe and out past Cootamundra that brought, give or take, 20 to 30mm yesterday evening," incident controller Barry Griffiths said.
"That's stabilised overnight, but it produced 71 calls for assistance."
Editorial note 5/8/2022: A quote in this article has been updated to state that a rain band passed through Ivanhoe to past Cootamundra. It originally mistakenly had Idaho to Cootamundra.