A caravan park in South Australia's Riverland region has been evacuated and closed overnight after defects were identified in the private levee built around the site.
Six people were evacuated from the Riverbend Caravan Park in Renmark on Tuesday night following an order from the SA State Emergency Service (SA SES).
State Duty Officer Kane Murray said the decision was made after engineers assessed the levee and identified a number of defects, including seepage, with the SES concerned about the risk of levee failure.
"That's why after getting that advice we decided to issue that evacuation order," he said.
"Engineers will be looking at [how to reinforce it] today.
"This was a private levee that was constructed by the property owner and we're not sure to what engineering standard."
SA SES chief officer Chris Beattie said other defects included "transverse fracturing" of the levee face and significant inundation of infrastructure behind the levee.
He said the standards of private levees vary considerably across the river system and it was "inevitable" there would be other defects and potential failures detected.
"We're working closely with those levee owners with regards to design standards," he said.
"The state government has introduced a grant program to allow businesses to access technical engineering support and also to provide a contribution towards restoration or upgrades to the levees, provided that work is done in accordance with technical advice from engineers."
People's safety put first
A mix of residents and visitors were on site at the park at the time of closure, four required emergency accommodation at the Berri relief centre, located at the town's senior citizens club.
SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said seepage was an issue.
"It means it’s deteriorating and as much as it will be devastating for those people to have to evacuate that caravan park – the people who are staying there and the people who run that – it’s about protecting life," he told ABC Radio Adelaide.
In a statement, the Riverbend Caravan Park said it was a precautionary decision made in the best interest of its guests and it was important to note the levees did not break nor was the park inundated with water.
"We have been working tirelessly with the authorities on the engineering of our levees and have been conducting regular inspections with them to ensure the continued safety of our guests," the statement read.
"All guests in the park at the time of the decision were given ample notice before the evacuation was activated. Unfortunately, the hour of this decision meant upcoming guests weren’t contacted prior to the public announcement.
"All guests with upcoming bookings will be contacted in the coming days to discuss rebooking their well-deserved holiday. Our standard cancellation policy will be adapted for this event as well."
The SES said more than 5,000 properties have been door knocked in the past week with at least 1,100 impacted by water and inundation to some extent.
Marine crews also visited 531 houseboats and 700 water-locked properties.
An additional 79 houseboats are expected to be visited today.
Anyone requiring relief assistance or temporary accommodation can attend the relief centre at the Berri senior citizens hall or call the River Murray flood relief line on 1800 302 787.
