Traffic conditions on the Murray Valley Hwy north of Nathalia have returned to normal following the completion of major drainage enhancement works.
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The works are part of widescale improvements to the drainage network across the Goulburn Murray Irrigation District by Goulburn-Murray Water and Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority.
The GMID Drainage Management Strategy aims to minimise waterlogging on private and public land, and to support irrigation sustainability.
A major part of this process has been removing obstructions, such as elevated roads and farm tracks, and replacing damaged or undersized culverts, that prevent water from following its natural course and subsequently minimising inundation.
G-MW drainage systems manager Carolyn Nigro said the recent works would improve drainage within the Murray Valley West catchment.
“The culvert under the Murray Valley Hwy was on an angle that prevented water flowing under the highway until the drain was almost full,” she said.
“The obstruction was a major issue for Murray Valley West catchment drainage, as during large rainfall events it would create a bottleneck, rather than follow its natural course.
“We upgraded the existing culvert and installed a siphon, which will allow water to follow a more natural drainage course — similar to how it would if the road was not there.
“These changes will greatly improve the effectiveness of the drainage in the upper catchment and will also improve the integrity of the road.”
The drainage works under way on the Murray Valley Hwy.
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As part of the extensive drainage works being undertaken in the Murray Valley West catchment, G-MW has engaged with 81 landholders, identified as being potentially impacted by the works, to seek their input.
Paul Kelly is the owner of Ponderosa Park, a horse breeding farm adjacent to where the siphon was installed.
Mr Kelly initially had reservations about the works, but was pleased with the outcome.
“I was a bit concerned about the new siphon because if it didn’t work, we would lose irrigation to about a third of the property,” he said.
“We’re really pleased with how the works have gone. G-MW has kept us in the loop throughout and the contractors (Apex Earthworks) have also been great to deal with.”
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