GUNNEDAH is preparing for an even higher flood peak after the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) upgraded its warning for the town.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The town has been told to prepare for an 8.30m flood peak overnight on Friday, after the BoM significantly raised its prediction on Friday afternoon.
It also coincided with Water NSW's announcement on Friday that it was making new water releases from Keepit Dam, into the Namoi.
The State Emergency Service (SES) said it had been working with local volunteers - with decades of experience on how the water flows - who had been planning all week for a peak of this size in Gunnedah.
SES spokesperson David Rankine told the Leader the initial predictions from the BoM earlier this week "were on the conservative side" and local knowledge several days ago had suggested the river would peak at 8.2m, similarly to what the town saw last weekend.
"They have lived in Gunnedah all their lives and know how the water flows, and that local knowledge ... we are also planning and trusting the local knowledge in our local community," he said.
He said Gunnedah was a "difficult community to forecast" flooding for because of the unmetered tributaries upstream.
But Mr Rankine said they had been watching Cox's Creek and the Mooki River closely upstream, but some locals were preparing for a 8.50m flood level.
"Breeza has sat above the major flood level since midday [on Thursday] for the best part of 24 hours," he said.
He said volunteers were working in with the local community to prepare and sandbag properties, and extra resources were on the ground.
READ ALSO:
Water NSW said its releases from Keepit would be behind the flood peak and not contribute to the flood level, adding it took about 18 hours for the water to get to the town, from the spill gate.
"At midday, Keepit Dam reached 99.9 per cent of capacity and had commenced releases at a rate of 5 gigalitres per day. Inflows were expected to peak around 32 gigalitres per day today," a spokesperson said.
"Without maintaining minimal releases up to this point, the dam would reach 100 per cent earlier, resulting in a larger, uncontrolled spill that would likely coincide with the flood peak at Gunnedah, and push the flood level higher."
Water NSW said it was closely monitoring the situation at Keepit Dam, but could not say when the releases would be stopped.
In its latest flood warning, the BoM said the flood peak from the Peel River, currently approaching Carrol Gap, will combine with outflows from Keepit Dam and a flood peak from the Mooki River, currently near Ruvigne, to cause major flooding at Gunnedah on Friday night.
A major flood peak is expected at Gunnedah early Saturday morning which may be higher than the flood levels experienced last weekend.
The flood peak is forecast to approach Boggabri on Sunday and Narrabri on Monday.
An earlier flood peak moving downstream along the Namoi River peaked early Thursday morning at Wee Waa, where major flooding is likely to continue into next week.
The Namoi River at Gunnedah is expected to top the moderate flood level of 7.60m about 5pm Friday.
The BoM expects the Namoi to hit 8.30m in Gunnedah early on Saturday morning.
The SES said unimog and helicopters assets are already stationed in Wee Waa for support, rescue and resupply.
"Helicopter resupply has commenced for Wee Waa which is currently isolated by road including medical supplies and pharmaceuticals for the Wee Waa pharmacy," a spokesperson said.
Avoid travel to parts of the North West
The SES warned motorists to avoid any travel to the following areas while floodwaters posed a risk.
"Travelling on flooded roads is extremely dangerous and should be avoided," a spokesperson said.
"Road conditions can change without warning and motorists should reconsider travel plans in areas impacted by flooding."
People working or camping along the Namoi River have been urged to move to higher ground in case of sudden river rises.
"Never drive, walk or play in floodwaters. Floodwater may be deep, fast flowing and may contain hidden snags and debris," an SES spokesperson said.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark northerndailyleader.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News