Several New South Wales communities are bracing for more flooding over the coming days as two-thirds of the state's regional dams spill ahead of more rain later this week.
Key points:
- Major flooding is expected at Gunnedah and Wee Waa tonight and tomorrow
- Gundagai residents have prepared themselves well but are concerned about what the week will bring
- Low-lying areas of Wagga Wagga are at risk of being isolated and may have to be evacuated
More than 100 flood warnings are in place across the state, and State Emergency Service (SES) volunteers have made 12 swift water rescues in the last 24 hours.
Major flooding has reached Gundagai in the state's south for the second time in little more than two months, with the Murrumbidgee River set to peak at 9.3 metres tonight.
Downstream at Wagga Wagga the river is forecast to reach 9.3m – its highest level in a decade – on Wednesday.
SES Chief Superintendent Ken Murphy said more resources were being moved into Forbes in the central west, with water levels also expected to rise there.
"Events can quickly change and in some areas we are anticipating anywhere between 30 to 75 millimetres of rain," he said.
Dam managers are working to create airspace in the dams by releasing water, but warn that "is not a magic bullet" in current conditions.
"These dams can manage water for a time when they're receiving it at this volume, but nothing makes this water disappear, it has to go somewhere," Tony Webber from Water NSW said.
"In the case of Burrinjuck and to a lesser extent Burrendong, those dam storages really don't have anymore capacity to hold those inflows back."
'Big concern' about what's to come
Gundagai's mayor Charlie Sheahan said the situation there was fairly stable, but the community was worried about the weather forecast.
Burrinjuck Dam on the Murrumbidgee River is at 106 per cent capacity, with 90,000 megalitres of water are being released
"The big concern is the next rain event that's coming, due hit here Wednesday, Thursday, Friday," he said.
"The catchment is chock-a-block full, Burrinjuck is discharging about 100,000 megalitres a day because that's the inflow."
"So the big pressure is when those feeder tributaries impact on what's already there."
Low-lying areas in Gundagai and its surrounds have been inundated, including the Gundagai River Park Caravan Park.
The flooding has closed several roads but no homes have been impacted.
In Wagga Wagga, residents in low-lying areas such as North Wagga Wagga and Moorong are being told to prepare for isolation or evacuation.
Premier Dominic Perrottet says the entire state needs to remain on alert.
"We do expect further heavy rainfall towards the back end of this week," he said.
"Its going to be a difficult summer."
North-west in focus
In the state's north-west rain from the weekend is making its way down the system.
Major flooding is expected on the Namoi River at Gunnedah tonight and then at Wee Waa on Tuesday morning.
SES superintendent Mitch Parker said the Bureau of Meteorology was predicting a major flood height of 7.9m, but crews were preparing for the worst case scenario.
"We have been planning for a 8.5m height at Gunnedah, just to be on the safe side," he said.
"We have the resources — the communities of Wee Waa and Gunnedah would have seen the unimogs around.
"We have police rescue, we have fire rescue, we have surf lifesaving, so we've got people from all over the place ready to assist if need be."
The town of Wee Waa has been cut off by floodwaters twice in the last month, but it is not expected to be isolated this time around, but Mr Parker said that could change.
Several major roads are closed due to flooding, including the Kamilaroi Highway between Bourke and Brewarrina, and the Cobb Highway between Ivanhoe and Wilcannia.
Central West cleaning up
A major clean-up is underway in the Central West following flooding at Dubbo and its surrounds on the weekend.
The Dubbo Western Plains Tourist Park was evacuated at 2am on Sunday to a rallying point at the showground.
Dubbo Regional Council chief executive Murray Wood said residents needed to prepare for more flooding in the months to come.
"We need to be thinking like this is going to be normal right through to December," he said.
"Businesses on the main street need their flood plans in place to manage the saturated landscapes."
Water is still making its way down inland river systems as several dams continue to spill.
Over the weekend the Windemere Dam near Mudgee spilt for the first time in 32 years and Split Rock Dam on the Upper Namoi overflowed for the first time since 2001.
Authorities said the main areas of concern over the coming days included some towns and low-lying areas along the Murrumbidgee, Gwydir, Macquarie and Lachlan rivers.
Residents in parts of northern and southern Forbes were told to prepare to evacuate on Sunday night as the Lachlan River exceeded the minor flood level at Forbes Iron Bridge.
The SES says landholders up and downstream of Forbes on the Lachlan River have been advised to prepare for several days of isolation.