AFTER a weekend of many firsts, the immediate flood threat for Leeton has now eased.
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Heavy rain last week, combined with 175.2mm falling in 24 hours from Saturday morning caused localised flash flooding in Leeton shire, with many residential roads and homes inundated.
The rainfall over the weekend was the biggest total for March since 156.2mm fell during that month in 1989.
The deluge caused many headaches for residents across the shire, with the Leeton Shire emergency operations centre (EOC) activated for the first time on Sunday evening.
The town's emergency services came together to respond to the flooding emergency on Sunday night after a large volume of water running off the Colinroobie ranges breached the main canal.
Attention was then turned to reducing the strain on the canal banks holding back the water, in particular the area near Roach's regulator.
Work to breach the canal began at 8.45pm on Sunday by Murrumbidgee Irrigation, with about 30 metres of bank at a depth of one metre removed.
This work may be extended to 35 metres in the coming days, which may result in increased water flow across Main Road 80.
Breaching the canal allowed water to be diverted across farmland and into the state forest to re-enter the river system.
As a result Main Road 80 and Euroley Road south of Euroley Bridge was blocked throughout Sunday night.
Leeton was isolated throughout the evening and some of yesterday morning with no access to Narrandera from the east, Barellan to the north and Darlington Point/Coleambally to the west.
Main Road 80 was reopened mid-morning yesterday, with pilot vehicles escorting cars through a short stretch on the Leeton side of the Cudgel sandhills.
Leeton Shire Council general manager John Batchelor said cutting open the canal had worked well to ease the threat of more flooding to Yanco and Leeton townships.
"They were able to lower the water level in that canal, with the water flow neutral by midnight," he said.
"That took away the immediate threat.
"The main problem areas we had were the Corbie Hill bridge, Merungle Hill bridge and the regulator on Colinroobie Road.
"There was originally concerns that the Collinroobie Road canal would bust through its banks.
"However, with the cut at the Roach's regulator, that water was able to find its way back to the river after midnight."
As a result of the work, residents were evacuated from their homes in Corbie Hill and Lillypilly roads, with Madonna Place set up as an evacuation centre.
Three residents registered at the building, with one staying overnight.
Most other evacuees, including those from other parts of town, were able to find accommodation with friends and family.
Residential areas in Petersham Road, Almond Road and Winlee Place were the hardest hit in town.
Mr Batchelor said the flooding and heavy rainfall was a once-in-a-lifetime event.
"For Leeton and Yanco there is no longer the imminent threat of flooding as a result of that heavy rainfall," he said.
"There are still some issues at Wamoon and we will be looking at those."