LOCAL tennis is about to take a hit as Mildura Lawn Tennis Club stares at the prospect of two months of lost competition because of the rising Murray River.
Forecasts indicate floodwaters at Mildura Weir, which sat at 35.63m (Australian Height Datum, based on mean sea level) on Friday, could yet rise by about three metres in coming weeks.
Mildura Lawn Tennis Club men’s captain Aaron Wilkie said it would be a struggle for the club as it faced thousands of dollars in lost revenue.
“We’re pretty concerned because we’ve got a Pro Tour event coming up in February,” Mr Wilkie said.
“If it gets up to the heights they’re talking about, it could take two or three weeks for it to recede.
“We’ve got obviously a big clean-up job to get the courts back to good condition.”
The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast the river at Mildura Weir to exceed minor flood level (36m AHD) about Monday.
The river may reach major flood level (38.50m AHD) about the first week of December.
Mr Wilkie said the club had organised a working bee for the weekend to salvage equipment from the lower levels of the club.
But he said the club was keen to learn from Sunday’s community meeting whether a higher levee could be built on the existing structure at the courts.
“It would be a metre higher than the original levee bank that’s there.”
