Shoalhaven Council staff are on standby to mechanically open the entrance of Tabourie Lake due to forecast heavy rainfall and possible flash flooding.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) have advised that periods of heavy rainfall may lead to flash flooding from Monday afternoon and into Tuesday morning, with isolated six-hourly rainfall totals of 120mm possible.
A severe weather warning is in place for the Shoalhaven region.
Tabourie Lake is currently at 1.07m Australian Height Datum (AHD) which is 0.23m below the planned opening level of 1.3m AHD.
The current rainfall forecast is sufficient for Tabourie Lake to potentially reach the planned opening level. In response, Council crews are mobilising the required resources to ensure the sand from the entrance of the waterway can be removed to minimise the potential flood impact if water levels meet the trigger requirements.
Council is also working with the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service to protect any threatened or migratory shorebirds nesting in the entrance location.
Staff are also monitoring several other waterways including Lake Conjola, Shoalhaven Heads and Swan Lake.
While Lake Conjola's entrance is currently open, it remains heavily shoaled. The Lake's water level is currently at 0.48 m AHD which is 0.52 m below the planned opening level.
Shoalhaven residents are being urged to monitor warnings issued by NSW State Emergency Service (SES) on their website and Facebook page and check the latest weather information from the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) online.
The community is also encouraged to download the Hazards Near Me app and set watch zones to get localised warning information.
