It is only a bit over three months ago that we launched an Emergency Management Team to respond to the flooding across our region, yet we have already taken significant strides in the recovery process.
During the floods, we were keenly aware it was essential we returned our delivery network to full functionality as soon as possible.
Despite all the rainfall our region received, since December 2022 we have received 23,715 water orders placed by irrigators, only about 500 less than we received in the same period the year before.
The irrigated agriculture sector in our region generates more than $6 billion of production value annually. Damage to channel banks, meters, flume gates and other assets due to the flooding could subsequently have had devastating repercussions for the region if not promptly addressed.
Thankfully, just weeks after the flooding first hit we were able to ensure we were delivering all orders within the standard 24 hour timeframe that we aim to meet.
Furthermore, in the brief period before our delivery network was fully operational, we liaised with customers looking to order water so we could prioritise repairs in their sections of the network to enable us to fulfil their order.
In instances where repairs needed to be undertaken before water could be delivered, we were still often able to deliver water on time or shortly thereafter.
It was a significant undertaking for our staff to ensure the delivery network could be restored to functionality so quickly, both inspecting and repairing the infrastructure and assets across our 10,000km of channel.
Our newly established Incident & Recovery Team created interactive maps to help irrigators identify which parts of our delivery network required maintenance and which parts could order water as normal.
The speed with which our staff were able to repair or replace damaged assets ensured we were soon able to pull the maps down from our website as the delivery network returned to normal.
Having the delivery network operational once more will be a huge economic benefit for our customers and the region as a whole. However, the recovery process stretched well beyond our delivery network.
One of the most considerable projects has been clearing the rubble that was washed to the bottom of Lake Eppalock’s secondary spillway, creating a major blockage in the Campaspe River.
In total, almost 32,000 cubic metres of rubble had to be cleared to enable the river to flow freely once more.
Our Infrastructure Delivery team was able to complete the monumental task in just four weeks.
In the past three months, we have repaired and replaced a multitude of assets, but there is still a lot of work ahead of us.
In some areas, the water levels are still too high for us to fully inspect assets, let alone repair them.
However, what we have already achieved is encouraging. We have a strong system in place for identifying and repairing assets and infrastructure that is being refined constantly.
Despite the flooding being only recently behind us, I believe we have already taken significant strides forward, and am confident the work we are doing is building the foundation for 2023 to be a prosperous year for our customers and our region.