A Riverland hospital located next to a "not fit for purpose" levee bank is reviewing its flood mitigation plans ahead of increasing Murray River flows into South Australia.
The Renmark Paringa District Hospital is located on Ral Ral Avenue in Renmark, next to a levee bank "of concern" identified by the Department of Environment and Water (DEW).
Urgent works have begun to fix the levee, which are expected to take around four weeks.
It comes as flows along the Murray into South Australia are forecast to reach 135GL per day in early December, following continued rainfall in the Murray-Darling Basin.
The levee bank near the hospital is expected to be tested if flows reach 130GL a day.
Riverland Mallee Coorong Local Health Network chief executive Wayne Champion says the hospital has 77 aged care residents and up to eight patients at any one time at the site.
"We have contingency plans for the risk of flooding at the Renmark Paringa District Hospital, which we are reviewing in light of the forecast river levels for late November and into December," Mr Champion said.
"At this stage it is not clear that the river level will get to a point where our plans need to be activated, however we are monitoring the river level forecasts with interest.
"We are liaising with aged care residents and their families as our plans are reviewed and updated and will engage with them regarding specific plans for individual aged care residents as our planning progresses."
Mr Champion added many of the hospitals aged care residents and patients are able to be moved, if required, with "little to no assistance".
Levee policy change needed
When DEW engineers and flood planners inspected the levee bank near the hospital, they found it was "not fit for purpose" and needed urgent repairs.
Renmark's system of levee banks is built across council, state government, privately owned and crown land.
The local Renmark Paringa Council is responsible for maintaining levee banks on land it owns.
Chief executive Tony Siviour said the high-flow forecast has made both state and local government realise a change is needed in levee bank policy, which outlines who is responsible for maintaining them.
"There's general agreement with our flood hazard leaders in DEW and the State Emergency Service that there does need to be some policy change there," he said.
"But right now, our focus is on preparedness for the floodwaters coming down that river."
