A water catchment authority in Victoria has increased its daily outflows a day after a protest by a community devastated by 2022's floods.
Goulburn-Murray Water has increased the amount of water it releases daily from Lake Eppalock from 150 megalitres to 800 megalitres, based on expected inflows.
The increase came a day after a bucket-wielding protest at the lake by community members of Rochester, a town downstream devastated by floods in October.
Protesters called for more water to be released amid fears of floods recurring if the lake spilled again.
Lake Eppalock has spilled in 29 of the 59 years it has been in operation, but only six of those were above the flow of the minor flood level of 21,200 megalitres per day.
In October, outflows peaked at 103,000 megalitres per day, while inflows peaked at 235,000 megalitres a day, inundating homes and devastating communities downstream.
GMW says the outflows were relatively small compared with other catchments, but an expansion of Eppalock's release infrastructure was being considered as part of a state government assessment.
Water storage services general manager Martina Cusack said the authority had to prioritise water storage for entitlement holders such as the local water utility and farmers.
“Goulburn-Murray Water manages the lake, it doesn’t own the water,” Ms Cusack said in a statement.
To release more water from Lake Eppalock, GMW would generally require water holders to order more, but with current storage levels just under 99.8 per cent and more inflows expected, it can increase outflows.
The catchment authority will continue monitoring conditions to determine if releases need to be increased.
“We are constantly assessing catchment conditions and working with the Bureau of Meteorology to see if any changes to releases should be made,” Ms Cusack said.
The Victorian government is assessing operations and infrastructure at Lake Eppalock and Lake Eildon to better protect downstream communities from future floods. It is due to report back in November.
