The Murray-Darling Basin Authority is anticipating further rainfall in coming months with the lake climbing to just under 90 per cent capacity in recent weeks.

Downstream property owners are fearful of a repeat of the most recent major flood in 2016.

"Something is better than nothing," MRAG chairman Richard Sargood said.

"When Lake Hume is filling at one per cent a day and we've only got 10 per cent of airspace left, you don't have to be Einstein to work out something could go horribly wrong a bit further down the track.

"If they ramp it up from here I will give them credit where credit is due.

"At least they are doing something.

"But if they are not prepared to go higher quickly if required they could be shutting the gate after the horse has bolted again."

The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting wetter-than-average conditions in the Upper Murray catchments, leading to an increased chance of flooding later this year.

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MDBA executive director of river management Andrew Reynolds said the small releases from Lake Hume, which started last Friday, were presently 4000 megalitres per day.

"We release water from Lake Hume to create airspace only when we are confident the dam will fill," he said.

"Recent rain events have increased the dam level to nearly 90 per cent capacity.

"These initial pre-releases will stay within river channel and not cause downstream flooding, as they are relatively small volumes.

"We are letting this water out as a precautionary step to reduce the potential impact of flooding downstream in the coming months."

The MDBA operates Lake Hume in accordance with the rules set by state governments.

"Every day we evaluate conditions based on Bureau of Meteorology data, predicted inflows and historical records to determine how to best manage the dam," Mr Reynolds said.

"It is important to note that when the dam fills, all flood waters pass through the dam and head downstream along with the water entering the river from the tributaries such as the Kiewa River.

"Given the rapid rise of water in storage in the past few weeks, without Lake Hume the downstream areas of the River Murray would already be experiencing flooding.

"All agencies are working together to keep communities informed and safe should flooding occur."

The MDBA faced a potential class action for not releasing water from Lake Hume before the 2016 floods.

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