River Murray Flood Mapping

The changes in the SA River Murray Chanel and floodplains since the 1956 flood and subsequent events have led to a shifting relationship between flow and water level, making accurate forecasting challenging. These changes include new infrastructure and development, shifts in floodplain vegetation and land use, movement of the river channel and changes in river bathymetry.

The effects of these changes were observed during the 2022-23 River Murray flood event. Following the event, the State Government committed funding for the purpose of updating DEW’s River Murray flood models, tools and datasets with current conditions, and the latest observations of water levels and flood behaviour during the 2022-23 flood.

DEW has updated the River Murray hydrodynamic models from Wellington to Lock 7 using the best available data, resulting in updated flood inundation datasets. DEW is working on making these updated datasets accessible to river managers, emergency services and the community, providing them with up to date information to assess potential flood impacts and prepare for future events. Additionally, model updates and dataset development for the Lower Lakes are ongoing. The bathymetric surveys outlined below are an example of the new data being captured that will be used to inform these updates.

For more information contact Casey Henderson, Senior Project Officer on casey.henderson@sa.gov.au.