Flood recovery update 10 March 2023

The Government of South Australia is providing targeted flood recovery support to primary producers in the Lower Murray Reclaimed Irrigation Areas (LMRIA) region. A coordinated program to assess and stabilise levees and undertake dewatering of inundated agricultural land to return areas to production as soon as possible is underway.

LMRIA recovery activities, including levee assessment and stabilisation and dewatering, will apply equally to government or privately owned levees and all landholders with property in an irrigation area, regardless of Trust membership. The program is covering the cost of levee assessment and stabilisation and pump costs for dewatering.

Community engagement

The Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) is leading the engagement with landholders on agriculture recovery and is working closely with key industry groups to coordinate the dewatering process. To ensure a coordinated approach, PIRSA is working through Irrigation Trust presiding members in the first instance as a central point of contact. Communication will now focus on each irrigation area individually to ensure contact with all affected landholders and that the unique needs of each area are addressed in the recovery process.

PIRSA has supported a community BBQ on 10 February that provided the opportunity for landholders to raise flood recovery priorities with State Government representatives. Community members who hosted this event have been instrumental in advocating for their region and sharing information with landholders.

A meeting with presiding members of Irrigation Trusts was hosted by PIRSA on 28 February to outline the coordinated dewatering program and seek input from Irrigation Trusts on the status of their local levees and water levels. This meeting was the start of a comprehensive engagement process that is now underway to work with landholders in each irrigation area to identify the specific recovery needs for each area.

All presiding members of Irrigation Trusts have now been contacted as a follow up to the February meeting to gather more detailed information about recovery needs and identify areas that are ready for dewatering. This information is being fed into a combined work plan for PIRSA and Department for Environment and Water (DEW) for on-ground activities.

Future meetings will be held with landholders within each irrigation area to enable further input to the discussions and planning process. This regular newsletter will keep you informed as the program progresses.

Levee assessment and stabilisation

DEW is working with engineers and landholders to undertake levee assessments and look at what repair solutions may be feasible once on-ground works are possible.

Safety is the priority when accessing inundated areas to undertake levee assessments and dewatering and no works will be undertaken unless safe to do so.

Levee stabilisation and dewatering activities involve heavy vehicles and equipment so appropriate areas for vehicle access and pump placement need to be confirmed before works can commence.

The levee assessment process will involve LiDAR surveys with drones where levees have been breached or overtopped, and on ground inspections where they have not. These surveys started on Monday 27 February 2023.

Until assessments are completed, it is not possible to predict the exact nature of the levee stabilisation works required, or when they will be completed. It is likely that different solutions to stabilise each levee will be used in the short-term to allow dewatering to commence.

DEW has engaged Scott Ashby to liaise with each irrigation area to determine individual requirements and possible short-term solutions. During these discussions, DEW would also like to hear from landholders about what they would like to see from the levees in the future.

Dewatering process

With flood waters still receding and the unknown nature of levee stabilisation, it is difficult to determine the timeframe for dewatering. Dewatering can only start once the water levels and structural integrity of the levee are such that they won’t be inundated further.

Dewatering can start in areas where:

• the area is safe to access with heavy vehicles
• the breach or overtopping area is no longer below water level
• the flow of water into the irrigation area has ceased
• no stabilisation works are required to the levee
• vehicle access to the levee is not required for pump placement and operation.

The timing for obtaining a pump and starting dewatering is subject to meeting the conditions listed above and the availability of the appropriate equipment.

There will be a coordinated government program to provide pumps for dewatering and to cover relevant operating costs.

To participate in this program landholders must work collectively through their local Irrigation Trust. Landholders who are not members of the Irrigation Trust are still eligible to participate and will receive communication in the same way.

PIRSA is partnering with SA Dairyfarmers' Association (SADA) to deliver dewatering services to irrigation areas. Recovery Facilitator Tarsha McGregor will work with each irrigation area to identify specific dewatering requirements and provide the relevant support and ensure coordinated action with SADA.

A dashboard showing progress on levee assessment and dewatering will be provided in the next edition.

LMRIA Recovery Subcommittee – community members invited

The Department of the Premier and Cabinet (DPC) is coordinating the state level flood recovery program. Alex Zimmermann is the Community Recovery Coordinator, who acts as a link between community, government departments and agencies. Alex chairs the Community Recovery Committee.

A LMRIA Recovery Subcommittee is being formed to ensure the flood recovery priorities for primary producers in this region are appropriately represented.

This subcommittee will have majority community membership and will be hosted by PIRSA. It will provide a formal connection to the state recovery arrangements and ensure effective two-way communication between community and government during the delivery of the levee stabilisation and dewatering program.

Interested community members in the LMRIA region are invited to participate in this subcommittee. You can express interest by emailing PIRSA.Recovery@sa.gov.au.

Additional assistance

Primary producers impacted by the River Murray flood are encouraged to access the Primary Producer Recovery Grants and the Primary Production Irrigation Grants along with other services – for more information call 1800 931 314.

Key contacts

PIRSA – dewatering activities
Tarsha McGregor – Recovery Facilitator
PIRSA Murray Bridge Office, Bremer Rd
Phone: 0428 105 396
Email: tarsha.mcgregor@sa.gov.au

DEW – levee assessment and stabilisation
Scott Ashby – Community engagement
Email: dew.wiocommunications@sa.gov.au

DPC – Community Recovery Coordinator
Alex Zimmermann
Phone: 0455 984 411
Email: alex.zimmermann@sa.gov.au