WaterNSW extends aerial watch on Lake Cargelligo

23 NOVEMBER 2022

WaterNSW will extend aerial monitoring of Lake Cargelligo as floodwaters continue to arrive down the Lachlan River, with the peak flow expected to arrive at the end of the week.

WaterNSW teams in Lake Cargelligo monitoring the rising storage and working to reinforce the lake embankments will use a helicopter to overcome road inaccessibility issues resulting from widespread localised flooding.

In co-operation with the NSW State Emergency Services (SES) WaterNSW personnel were already using drones to keep watch on the lake storage, which has risen to 182% of capacity, a record high.

WaterNSW modelling indicates that the floodwaters arriving from upstream will be captured within the lakes, without exceeding capacity and placing pressure on the embankments, which are continuing to be reinforced in key areas.

Lake Cargelligo storage has been at flood surcharge level for months due to high inflow as a result of the prolonged La Nina weather pattern and flooding in the Lachlan valley.

The current work follows the installation of rock and reinforcing material in key areas over recent weeks. WaterNSW has also increased the frequency of monitoring and continues to transport additional material to site as a precaution.

WaterNSW is working with the NSW State Emergency Service (SES) to keep the community informed of the current situation and contingency planning, and the public should remain alert to communications from the SES regarding Lake Cargelligo.

All NSW SES warnings and action statements required from the community are available at www.ses.nsw.gov.au

A planned extensive embankment upgrade has been postponed until 2023 due to the high level of the storage and the ongoing high volume of water being received into the lake.

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