27/08/2026
***LAKE EPPALOCK & ROCHESTER***
This post is to inform and hopefully clarify a few things. If you have a legitimate question that you would like answered, please post your question in the comments.
If your purpose is to fear monger or make outlandish statements that have no factual basis – keep scrolling.
Here are some FACTS:
• The only one to blame for a flood is Mother Nature.
• Lake Eppalock is at 97% capacity as of this morning. Even if it reaches 100%, this does not mean Rochester will flood.
• Lake Eppalock has three spillways which can hold an additional 30% above full supply.
• A minor flood in Rochester will not impact any homes or businesses.
• A moderate flood in Rochester is unlikely to impact any homes or businesses.
• Although we have had above average rainfall for July and August, the modelling for Spring and Summer is very dry and very hot.
• GMW do not own the water in Lake Eppalock. They are the managers of the Lake Eppalock storage.
• GMW cannot just release water whenever it feels like it. It is bound by the Water Act not to release any water until specific conditions have been met. If they do, they are discharging other entitlement holder’s water and threatening future water security.
• Even if the specific conditions for GMW to release water have been met, there still needs to be careful consideration of:
- Water already in the system downstream; and
- The level of the Murray River because if the Murray is high the water will bottleneck at that point and back up in the Campaspe River.
• The answer to flood concerns is not always to release water from Lake Eppalock. Lake Eppalock did not contribute at all to the January 2024 flood. In fact, had water been released from Lake Eppalock this would have increased the flood height of the 2024 event.
• Greens Lake and Lake Cooper are part of the Goulburn system and do not form part of the Campaspe system. For those saying that water should be released from Lake Eppalock into Greens or Coopers – there’s a big mountain range in the way!
• Each lake has different operating systems, so comparing Lake Eildon to Lake Eppalock is like comparing apples to chickens.
• The Rochester Flood Study commissioned by the Campaspe Shire Council is still underway.
IMPORTANT - Myself and a very small handful of other local people have dedicated literally hundreds of hours post flood to attending meetings, briefings and educating ourselves on all things water for Rochester.
Please do not comment unless you have a question, or your comment is factually correct. There has been enough fear mongering and ridiculous comments about this topic.
Let’s all be decent humans and give consideration to the mental health and wellbeing of people in our community.
Good. Ta. Thanks
