The Murray Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) has released a small volume of water from Hume Dam to maintain storage space in anticipation for inflows from rain forecast by the Bureau of Meteorology over the coming months. Wetter than average conditions in the Upper Murray catchments means increased chance of flooding with the Hume Dam currently sitting at 90% capacity.

MDBA river management executive director Andrew Reynolds said releases were running at 4,000ML per day: “We only release water from Hume Dam to create airspace when we are confident the dam will fill,” he said. The water is released to reduce the potential impact of flooding downstream in coming months. The Hume Dam’s primary purpose is water security, playing a crucial role in managing flows and securing water along the Murray River, including Adelaide.