The Wagga Beach COVID-19 testing clinic will be relocated and some roads closed as planned water releases from Burrinjuck Dam raise the Murrumbidgee River to seven metres in the coming days.
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Wagga City Council general manager Peter Thompson confirmed on Tuesday the Murrumbidgee River will rise from five to seven metres as Water NSW attempts to create airspace in Burrinjuck Dam through releases.
The dam is currently full and spilling off the back of heavy rainfall in recent weeks.
The flooding will send the entire Wagga Beach area and the adjoining car park where the COVID-19 testing clinic is currently situated under water and will impact some roads in the area. The releases will commence as soon as final approvals are received.
"Wagga Beach will be under, in fact the car park at Wagga Beach will have water over it and we will close River Road at some point and Mundowy [Lane] will also be closed," Mr Thompson said. "It will impact the testing clinic area and we are currently in the process of finding them another location."
Mr Thompson said no decision had yet been made on the relocation site for the Laverty testing clinic, but mentioned a car park opposite the Civic Theatre on Tarcutta Street had been discussed.
The plan comes after Water NSW called an "urgent meeting" with stakeholders, including council, at 4pm on Monday to discuss managing the dam levels with controlled flooding of the river.
"They won't release water on the basis of gigalitres into the river, they will take into account what is already in the river and release what they can," Mr Thompson said, adding the high water levels could be in place for up to one month.
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