Work under way to remove temporary levee in Echuca’s east

The work is estimated to cost around $350,000, which will be funded by Emergency Recovery Victoria, council said.

Council said no levees would remain on roads.

The levee was constructed in October during the height of the flood crisis gripping Echuca, Moama and the region.

With near-record levels of flooding predicted to spill over from the Murray River, emergency services built the wall as a last line of defence in an attempt to hold back the impending torrent.

The 3km levee has two sections — one starting from the water treatment plant along Moama St, along Goulburn Rd, Bowen St and Pakenham St, and the other section running from the Port of Echuca to Victoria Park.

And while it succeeded in its goal of preventing floodwaters from encroaching deep into Echuca, at the same time, it left residents on the north side of the wall — the wet side — cut off and inundated.

The wall essentially trapped the floodwaters in, swamping homes on the wet side at a higher level than otherwise would have been expected.

Many residents were unable to access their homes via car for weeks due to the levee, with people forced to climb over the wall to go and collect essential supplies.

As water levels receded, sections of the levee in front of homes were removed, providing much-needed relief and giving residents greater access to their homes once again.

The dirt used to construct the levee was taken from borrow pits at the end of Old Aerodrome Rd in Echuca South. As it is removed, the dirt will be taken back to fill in those same pits.