As water levels rise along the River Murray in South Australia, residents, businesses and authorities are keeping a close eye on what is to come. The South Australian government is predicting between 190 and 220 gigalitres of water a day will flow down the river as the flood peaks in late December.
Authorities initially expected there to be two peaks — one in mid-December and one later in the month — but they now believe there will be one single peak, with water levels to remain high for months. The cause of all this water is the enormous amount of rain that has fallen in NSW, Victoria and Queensland over the past three years.
With catchments already swollen, this year's rain has caused widespread flooding in the Murray and Darling river systems and much of that water is now ending up in South Australia.
Source: abc.net.au