WATER will flow between Lake Alexandrina and the Goolwa Channel for the first time in more than a year with the partial removal of the Goolwa Channel regulator near Clayton. A 135 metre section of the regulator will be removed from next week to allow the water to flow. When the regulator is partially removed, up to 15,000 megalitres of water is expected to flow each day from Lake Alexandrina, down the Goolwa Channel and out through Goolwa Barrage into the Coorong estuary. River Murray Minister Paul Caica said the rapidly rising water levels in Lake Alexandrina mean water can be allowed to pass through the regulator, which was put in place last year to protect the channel and its tributaries from potentially devastating acid sulfate soils. “This is excellent news for both the local communities and the local environment, which have been greatly impacted by years of low water levels caused by low River Murray inflows,’’ he said. “By breaching the regulator it will enable roughly similar amounts of water to be released through the Goolwa Barrage and the four barrages off Lake Alexandrina, to balance flows to stabilise the position of the Murray Mouth.” The decision to remove the section of the regulator was made in consultation with the Murray Darling Basin Authority. The remainder of the structure will be removed when the MDBA confirms there is low risk the embankment will need to be reinstated. The Currency Creek regulator will not have to be immediately removed as it is designed to allow water to flow over the top of the structure during times of high flows. Water is also now flowing between Lake Alexandrina and Lake Albert for the first time in two years after a 100m section of the Narrung bund was removed this week.
