Bega Valley Shire Council will open the Bega River Mouth to the sea north of Tathra early tomorrow, Thursday.
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The council has been carefully watching the rising river level in recent weeks, with live updates available every 15 minutes via a monitoring buoy at Mogareeka.
Mechanically opening the Bega River system starts to be a consideration when the river height reaches 1.26m, in line with guidelines from the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage. The approved opening height is 1.36m AHD. That mark was reached today, Wednesday..
A pilot channel was dug today to take advantage of appropriate tidal conditions, that combined with the significant amount of water in the catchment, should result in a successful opening.
Signage and bunting will be in place for at least 48 hours to warn the public of the deep channel that is forming as the river and ocean start to interact again.
The council requests that members of the public keep well clear of these fast flowing and dangerous waters. This includes staying away from the sandbanks at the channel’s edge as they can become unstable.
Many of the shire’s coastal lakes and lagoons are stressed at the moment on the back of summer’s extended dry period, with calls from the community to open these environments to the ocean.
The large volume of water contained up stream of the Bega River Mouth and the force that comes with it means that a successful opening is more likely here as opposed to the low water levels being experienced elsewhere.
It is a criminal offence for non-authorised people to open a lake, lagoon or river entrance. Non-authorised openings present a significant risk to public safety, local ecology and surrounding industries.
Tilba fisherman Ron Snape expressed disappointment in the news, having just planned a fishing trip to the Bega River, which he said had been fishing really well.
Bega River is the stand out in the estuaries. It’s been closed and jewfish have reached the magic meter. Flatheads and tailor are having a real go as well on 4-inch plastics, he said.