Warragamba Dam overflows for first time in years amid NSW 'extreme weather event' - ABC News

Sydney's main water source, Warragamba Dam, has spilled over for the first time since 2016, as rivers in Australia's largest city swell amid a downpour.

Water began cascading over the dam wall about 4.00pm Saturday, not long after authorities warned much of Greater Sydney to brace for flooding.

NSW's coastline has been pummelled by a days-long rain event that the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has warned will continue into next week.

Several areas have sustained record falls, and while the dam — which is about 70 kilometres from Sydney's CBD — also spilled over in 2012 and 2013, the last major flooding event was in 1990.

An evacuation order was issued for Picton, about 40km away from the dam, just over an hour after it started overflowing.

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Authorities are particularly worried about the situation in the nearby Hawkesbury-Nepean valley, which the NSW State Emergency Service (SES) says has one of Australia's highest flood-danger levels.

A WaterNSW spokesperson warned Nepean, Cataract, Cordeaux and Avon dams were also expected to overflow.

Several parts of the state, particularly on the Mid-North Coast, have already been evacuated amid rising water levels and authorities have warned Sydneysiders to brace for more rain.

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The BoM is predicting up to 100mm could fall across Greater Sydney on Sunday and Monday.

The Bureau of Meteorology's Flood Operations Manager Justin Robinson said authorities were watching the situation closely.

"It's a very dynamic and evolving flood situation and we could see some very deep and rapid responding rivers with very high levels," he said.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said NSW was battling a "deep-seated, extreme weather event".

A WaterNSW spokesperson said public access to all dams had been blocked until "further notice" as a safety precaution.

"WaterNSW has established a dedicated 24-hour incident management team that is working closely with the Bureau and the NSW State Emergency Service to monitor weather and inflows to dams," they said.

"WaterNSW will continue to work closely with Sydney Water and NSW Health throughout the rain event, to watch for potential water quality impacts on untreated supply."

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2021-03-20 06:57:31Z
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