River Murray flows sees change to lock operations

Boat drivers along the River Murray in South Australia are being advised to take note of temporary changes to operations at SA Water’s network of locks and weirs, during increased flows along the river.

With a rise in water levels coming down the system from upstream, the chambers at Lock 2 through to Lock 6 have been temporarily closed for use.

The chamber at Lock 1 currently remains operational, with similar changes expected to be implemented at the Blanchetown site in early November.

SA Water Senior Manager River Murray Operations Garry Fyfe said vessels are however instead able to safely pass over the adjacent weir in both directions, without the need to use the lock chamber.

“In periods of higher than usual flows like we are currently seeing, we continue to review how best to manage our lock infrastructure, while maintaining a safe channel for boat drivers,” Garry said.

“Having worked closely with the Department for Environment and Water in monitoring flows coming down the system, our team of lock coordinators – or ‘lockies’ – have been removing stop logs and navigation passes, to safely facilitate the increased water levels.

“This allows drivers to navigate freely across sections of our weir structures without the need to enter or exit the lock chamber, with each passage clearly marked with buoy lines, signage and lights to safely guide drivers as they pass through.

“As the flow subsides over time, these pieces of infrastructure will gradually be reinstated to return the lock chambers back to normal operations.

“Reduced speed restrictions remain in place for people travelling through, and we thank everyone for navigating our system of locks and weirs in a safe way for their benefit and that of our team.”

“If you have any questions or require information about how to safely pass through a lock, you can still touch base with our team of ‘lockies’ by calling the individual site in advance.”

On behalf of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, SA Water manages Locks One to Six in South Australia as well as Lock Seven at Rufus River and Lock Eight at Wangumma in New South Wales, and Lock Nine at Kulnine in Victoria. The utility also operates barrages at Goolwa, Mundoo, Boundary Creek, Ewe Island and Tauwitchere.

For more information on SA Water's management of locks and weirs, as well as contact numbers for each site, visit sawater.com.au.

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