While communities in the east of the region count the cost of Wednesday’s deluge, western towns are bracing for swollen water systems to reach their peak.
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Some residents in Beckom, north-east of Ardlethan, have been isolated from the flooding of the Mirrool Creek, and other towns downstream, including Yenda and Griffith, face a nervous wait as the peak moves towards them.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), the Murrumbidgee Valley received an average of 36mm to 7am on Thursday, which means the Murrumbidgee River will rise again in Wagga.
The river peaked at 7.5 metres at Gundagai about 1pm on Thursday with minor flooding. It will exceed minor flood level, 7.3m, some time on Friday and will reach 8.4m on Saturday.
The State Emergency Service (SES) had to evacuate residents by boat in Cootamundra as the Muttama Creek flooded.
Homes along the creek were inundated on Wednesday afternoon and road surfaces were washed away across the district. The Thompson Street footbridge was badly damaged.
Homes in Poole Street and Cutler Avenue had water inside. SES Cootamundra Controller Des Rowe said the water rose too quickly and the call for help came too late to sandbag.
Across town, all causeways were closed as Muttama Creek rose to 2.10 metres at its peak at 7.45pm.
The creek had been more than two metres since noon and did not recede from until 9.15pm, according to the BOM’s river height data taken at Berthong Road.
Cootamundra council acting engineering services director Mark Ellis said the main areas of damage were creek crossings where water had run across the road.
By Thursday morning crews were repairing damaged causeways.
Mr Ellis said as well as these, roads around Stockinbingal also fared badly.
SES community engagement co-ordinator Ian Leckie said the crisis was over in Cootamundra, but it was keeping a close eye on the Mirrool Creek while mopping up.
“It’s the wettest September we’ve ever had,” Mr Leckie said. “We’ve got to be really conscious of any rainfall at the moment.”
The BOM has not forecast any significant rainfalls until the middle of next week.