Since the 2016 floods that affected the River Murray, the Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) and WaterNSW have been working together to improve communications for landholders and the community immediately downstream of Hume Dam.
MDBA River Management Executive Director, David Dreverman, said that a particular focus has been on improving Hume Dam's Early Warning Network (EWN) service in response to community feedback.
"Today WaterNSW is going live with an update of its EWN as it applies to Hume Dam. This update will give people notifications about any releases that occur whenever flows at Albury are overbank as well as any dam safety concerns that may arise," Mr Dreverman said.
"We listened to feedback from the Murray River Action Group, caravan park owners, business people and farmers and the overwhelming concern was that there were insufficient updates on actual releases from Hume Dam during the last flood event.
"EWN notifications will start whenever releases from Hume, combined with Kiewa River flows exceed the channel capacity at the Doctors Point river level gauge. This corresponds to a total flow of about 25,000 ML/day. The EWN will then issue an updated notification advising the new Hume Dam release each time it is changed. Notifications will cease only when the flow at Doctors Point drops back below channel capacity.
"The new EWN service will result in more regular updates for EWN registered users on the specific flood-related releases that are taking place from the dam. Notifications triggered by particular flood levels at other downstream gauges will no longer be provided.
"The Hume Dam EWN's sole purpose is to issue notifications about release rates from Hume Dam when total flow rates downstream are high. This could even be the case if dam releases are quite low but there are unusually high inflows from the Kiewa River."
Mr Dreverman reminded the community that although the service will provide more frequent information on Hume Dam high releases, it is not a forecasting service.
"It is important to remember, the EWN does not include forecasting information. Actual river levels and impacts experienced downstream are highly dependent on additional factors, including someone's particular location along the river and the amount of inflow from other rivers – particularly the Kiewa.
"We encourage floodplain landholders to have a plan for possible floods and include how they will access information to ensure they are prepared for flooding when it occurs. For example, the best way to receive rain forecasts and flood warnings is via the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM). The BoM website provides current readings of river levels at a range of sites downstream. Local SES websites are another way to receive more localised information and warnings as well," Mr Dreverman said.
WaterNSW Executive Manager System Operations, Adrian Langdon said that the Hume Dam EWN was an opt-in service and everyone interested in dam releases is encouraged to register.
"To receive notifications for Hume Dam releases, people need to register. Existing members of the Hume Dam Early Warning Network service will be transferred to the updated Early Warning Network notifications. The existing Flood Advisory Service phone in message will be discontinued. We recommend registering with the updated Hume Dam Early Warning Network if not already registered." Mr Langdon said.
The EWN is an automated notification system. When registering to receive notifications you select 'Hume Dam' and then select from the three different methods to receive notifications including SMS text, phone service – automated voice mails, and email alerts.
For more details about the EWN and how to register for Hume Dam notifications visit: http://www.waternsw.com.au/about/ewn
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