Lake Eppalock near Bendigo has spilled for the first time since October 2016.
Eppalock is now sitting at 101.8 per cent capacity — more than double the amount that it was in June, when it was sitting at just 49.2 per cent.
Remarkably, the 700-metre-long lake jumped from 59.8 per cent in August to 98.5 per cent in September.
Excess water from Eppalock runs into the Campaspe River and is used to supplement the Waranga Western Channel, which supplies customers in the Rochester, Pyramid and Boort irrigation areas.
Goulburn-Murray Water storage services general manager Martina Cusack said the spillway at Eppalock was a fixed crest spillway, which meant G-MW had limited ability to manage the rate of releases from the lake; it simply spills once it exceeds capacity.
She said the role of Goulburn-Murray Water was to support and work with the SES to minimise the impact on communities near Eppalock and along the Campaspe.
“We have implemented our flood incident management plan for Lake Eppalock and will be closely monitoring inflows to the lake and conditions downstream,” she said.
“Having Lake Eppalock full provides greater security for customers during the next few years, however, the spills from the lake will lead to higher water levels downstream, which people need to be aware of.”
Torrumbarry Weir, which flows out to the Murray River, is currently sitting at 100.9 per cent for the month of October, a gradual climb from the 100 per cent that it was sitting at in August.
G-MW updates storage levels daily, which can be accessed via https://www.g-mwater.com.au/water-resources/catchments/storage-levels