Winter has arrived as water flows from Myponga

Water is now flowing from the release gates at Myponga Reservoir for the first time this year, as the wet start to winter continues with this week’s rainfall delivering a surge of natural inflows to the Fleurieu storage.

Since the start of the week, around 2.5 billion litres of water has entered the reservoir – prompting two of Myponga’s four-metre-high gates to be opened, to safely facilitate a controlled flow of water downstream.

SA Water’s Senior Manager of Environment and Energy James Crocker said with more rainfall forecast over coming days, the release will help manage water levels within the reservoir.

“Dam walls, gates and spillways are designed to manage water in a controlled manner, and today’s release is an example of the Myponga dam wall doing exactly what it was designed and built for,” James said.

“Releasing different amounts of water at certain levels is an important measure in safely managing capacity in the reservoir and prepares the storage for more inflows based on local catchment and rainfall conditions.

“While we managed a few releases at Myponga last year, it certainly didn’t happen this early during winter.

“Last year’s rainfall, which was heavily influenced by spring – kept our reservoirs at a higher combined volume and meant we saw out summer with the highest level – 69 per cent at the start of autumn – since 2017.

“In the 24 hours to 8am this morning, the reservoir received around 1.7 billion litres of water, and our forecast still has around one billion litres of water in the catchment that’s yet to flow into the reservoir.

“At this stage, we expect to keep gates open for the next few days and will continue working closely with the Bureau of Meteorology to understand expected rainfall and its impact on reservoir levels.”

South Australia’s reservoirs enjoyed the wettest spring in 20 years during 2022, with the storages capturing more than 80 billion litres of water during the unseasonably winter-like months.

“If you’d like to catch a glimpse of Myponga’s water release, you can safely watch the cascading water at the lookout on Reservoir Road, which provides views of the dam wall and across the wider reservoir reserve,” James said.

“For those looking to explore the Myponga Reservoir Reserve for recreational access, you can still enjoy the range of fishing, kayaking, walking and picnicking activities on offer.”

SA Water’s metropolitan reservoirs are currently sitting at a total capacity of 64 per cent – compared to 50 per cent the same day last year – storing a combined 117 billion litres of water.

Apart from Myponga, no other reservoirs in the Mount Lofty Ranges are expected to release water at this stage.

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