Eildon crossed 75% full yesterday, it still should get to 80% even if we don't get much more rain (but I think we will).
50mm in the gauge up at Buller over the past couple of days. Could get up to 30mm later today with the system that's coming through, and more again on Friday. 80% is looking like an inevitability. 85% in early November a distinct possibility. I'd imagine it's a similar story in the Snowy Mountains in terms of forecast rain, and with yet more regulating of levels at Hume over the coming weeks.
Given all the water downstream, I wonder if Eucumbene will be allowed to fill up a little higher this year?
Friday has potential to put in a lot more water. But - not to labour the point - rain in October is normal, and it takes a lot of it to make a significant dent in the air space. Over the last 3 days - with all the rain Buller has copped - the total lake inflows have been 5,000 ML/day, 7,000 ML/day and (today Wednesday at 9 am) 8,000 ML/day (There's an "Eildon Flow Advisory" number that you can ring for this stuff, I use it to understand what's going on in the river and lake, mainly for fishing purposes). None of these daily flow rates equals the release rate when the Goulburn is going full whack in February (about 10,000 ML/day). Over the last 3 days the lake has put on a whopping........... 0.5% of capacity. Now that's actually a lot, but the peak of capacity in a normal year is around now or just a little later, so it's got some work to do! If we had those flows for two weeks we still wouldn't get to 80. FWIW, the patterns suggest more rain, so I think it actually will get up to 80%, and 85% is certainly a possibility, as you would think irrigation demand will be a bit softer early in the season, given all the rain that's fallen where the irrigation water is needed. With some really big storms it could even fill. But a peak of somewhere between 80 and 85 is still also fairly likely. I'm hoping she spills - but not really expecting it.
How can a storage be 150% full ? http://water.bom.gov.au/waterstorag...:common:codelist:feature:laanecooriereservoir
"Full" does not mean to the top of the dam wall. "Full" is when the dam is at normal capacity. Most dams are designed to hold more than their normal capacity.
Brogo dam near my place is considered full at the spillway level, 102.6 mts AHD. Some years ago I noted the level to be 107 mts or so, 5 metres over the spillway would have been a sight.
From Wikipedia for the Wivenhoe dam: "Purpose[edit] The dam was designed as a response to the floods that damaged Brisbane in 1974.[2] Built in the late 1970s – early 1980s as a multifunction facility by a consortium of construction companies including Thiess Brothers, Wivenhoe Dam provides a safe water supply to the people of Brisbane and adjacent regions. Additionally, Wivenhoe Dam serves as the lower storage in a pumped-storage, hydro-electric generating facility, the Wivenhoe Power Station. The upper reservoir is formed by Splityard Creek Dam, of earth and rock construction, with a capacity of 28,700 megalitres (6,300,000×103 imp gal; 7,600,000×103 US gal). Under normal conditions the dam supplies water via pipeline to both Tarong Power Station andTarong North Power Station, but during drought conditions only supplies water to Tarong North. Flood mitigation[edit] Auxiliary spillway, upstream side During a flood the dam is designed to hold back 1.45 million megalitres (320,000×106 imp gal; 380,000×106 US gal) of additional water for flood mitigation or 225% capacity.[7] Under the water release plan which is defined by law, excess water must be released from the dam within seven days or a week of it reaching 100% capacity.[8] Between April 2004 and September 2008, a 165-metre (541 ft) wide auxiliary spillway with a three-bay fuse plug was installed on the western portion of the dam to further mitigate flooding.[9] In 2007, a feasibility study concluded that Wivenhoe Dam failed to satisfy the Australian National Committee on Large Dams (ANCOLD) guidelines on acceptable flood capacity.[10]" 225% sounds a lot, but Wivenhoe needs to deal with tropical rain events which can deliver 300mm+ rainfall.
Off topic slightly but since we are talking releases and spillways...here is the Burdekin Dam at 3.75m over the spillway; It reached 6.69m over in 2009. Incredible. Spillway length 500m. Edit - Since we are Australian's and our standard unit for big volumes is Sydney Harbours, it would fill the Harbour in 6 days.
Guessing no gates are open at Hume now. wouldn't be any aeroguard left within 100km of Albury/Wodonga. the mossies would in biblical proportions.
Burrendong has 60% flood mitigation capacity. Has been over 100% full for a couple of months. Did its job very well. Record winter rainfall and now significant flooding.
Water storage levels Gippsland WATER STORAGE: MOONDARRA 29,853 Ml Today's storage level This Week100% Last Week100% Data date: 15/11/2016 025507510015/11/201614/11/201613/11/201612/11/201611/11/2016 13/11/2016 Storage levels (%): 100 WATER STORAGE: TARAGO (MELB WATER) 37,580 Ml Today's storage level This Week100% Last Week100% Data date: 15/11/2016 025507510015/11/201614/11/201613/11/201612/11/201611/11/2016 14/11/2016 Storage levels (%): 100 WATER STORAGE: GLENMAGGIE (SRW) 171,358 Ml Today's storage level This Week96.5% Last Week98.2% Data date: 15/11/2016 025507510015/11/201614/11/201613/11/201612/11/201611/11/2016 15/11/2016 Storage levels (%): 96.5 WATER STORAGE: BLUE ROCK (SRW) 198,385 Ml Today's storage level This Week100% Last Week100% Data date: 15/11/2016 025507510015/11/201614/11/201613/11/201612/11/201611/11/2016 15/11/2016 Storage levels (%): 100
So Gippsland's storages, although little, are all nice and full. IIRC, they've managed pretty well over the last two months? Baw Baw has had 80mm this week
Looks like 85% was optimistic for Eildon, in fact she looks like not quite clearing 80, after all. Still, not a bad year. We will be looking for some regular drenchings and cool breaks to keep the moisture up, or there are going to be some bad bad fires.
