This message is recorded at mid-afternoon Saturday 7th December 2019.
We attempted again to enter the river to clear shingle from the intake this morning with the intention to get water flowing for irrigation, but we were unsuccessful due to the river level remaining too high to undertake the works necessary to open the intake for irrigation.
We have made necessary arrangements for larger machinery to arrive early next week in the form of a 70t excavator from Kate Valley but we will need to remain vigilant about river conditions.
Heavy rain has fallen in the upper catchment with over 150 mm recorded so far Friday and Saturday morning. There is potential for more heavy rain overnight Saturday.
The River is currently flowing at around 350 cumecs at the Otarama recorder and is anticipated to rise later on Saturday.
We will keep you updated as this ongoing weather event unfolds. We will be reviewing the river levels and rainfall regularly with the intention to open for irrigation as soon as we can.