Farms warned of debris risks

Dams may be contaminated with floating organic matter including straw, grass, leaves and manure.

Within a couple of days debris will sink and begin to break down, causing the water to become putrid and potentially unusable for livestock.

Agriculture Victoria’s Clem Sturmfels said that there were many ways to remove debris from dams, including dragging the material to the bank using a chain mesh boom.

He suggested the use of chain mesh, which is commonly used to construct tennis court fences, suspended from a series of floats to create a boom to clear the debris.

“The boom can then be dragged across the dam using ropes attached to each end,” he said.