Murray-Darling Basin Authority river management executive director Andrew Reynolds said during the past few weeks, as floodwater in the Murray River receded, inspection works had been undertaken and equipment and materials transported to the site.
“This is an important job prior to the weir being restored to the river. If all the equipment is in good working order, we expect to start putting the weir’s trestles back in place on Thursday (February 2),” Mr Reynolds said.
“The procedure will take a few days to complete, and once the weir is back in the river the weir pool will begin to refill. River users may notice fluctuating river levels during this time.
“The river level at Mildura has dropped rapidly as upstream flooding recedes, and has now reached a level where the weir can be safely reinstated.
“Reinstating the weir will return the weir pool to its normal operating height and allow communities to resume usual activities.
“We thank the community for their patience as we take the time needed to ensure the infrastructure is in a fit shape to support local industry and community activities.”
The Mildura Weir was removed from the river in September 2022 to allow floodwater to pass through unobstructed and minimise the risk of damage to the infrastructure.
Mr Reynolds said the lock would be closed while the weir was being reinstated, which meant during this time river craft would not be able to pass through this section of river.
Work by WaterNSW to reinstate the weir at Wentworth began on February 1.
River pumpers and houseboat operators are reminded to monitor river levels closely during this period.
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