Early on Sunday, the Katherine River peaked at 15.65 metres, a height unrivalled in over a decade.
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Successive poor wet seasons that fizzled before they began meant that some of Katherine's newer residents had barely seen the river higher than six metres.
In 2017, the Katherine River tipped the 15 metre mark painted on the old Railway Bridge - keenly watched by many over the past couple of days - but it was all the way back in 2008 that water lapped just above that level.
As the Bureau of Meteorology issued a minor flood warning for the region on Friday, February 19, residents were left wondering if a repeat of 2006 would eventuate - during that April event, more than 600 residents were evacuated and some 100 homes affected when the river rose to just under 20 metres.
Across the weekend, rainfall totals of up to 200mm were recorded in the Katherine River catchment, pushing the river to its Sunday morning peak, however, the unease was short-lived as the river began its slow drop mere hours later.
As of Monday morning, the river was at 14.61 metres and falling.
By around 4pm the Bureau put it at 14.27.
Katherine Town Council CEO Ian Bodill said it was "magnificent" to see the rain and excitement on the local faces as the masses filed over the bridge for a peak at the fast flowing water beneath.
As for the recently rejuvenated Hot Springs, currently submerged in water, Mr Bodill says it will be a "wait and see" situation.
Fast flowing water during the 2018 wet season, which rushed though at much lower levels than seen this year, caused some erosion to the lower gabion rock wall tier, and sparked a string of costly fixes including deep footings to stabilise the eroded river bank.
"We can't tell if remedial work will be needed yet," Mr Bodill said.
"I went to look this morning and it was completely covered in water. There might be a problem because the project was just completed, but we'll have to wait and see."
David Ciaravolo, chief executive of the Northern Territory's peak body for recreational fishing, the Amateur Fishermen's Association, said that following one of the worst barramundi fishing seasons in recent memory, the massive river flush was warmly welcomed.
"It is really important that we have these high water events at the Katherine River," Mr Ciaravolo said.
"It is important for river health, ecology, the connectivity with floodplains and recharging the aquifer."
He said the Katherine Tindall aquifer had been under significant stress over the past couple of years, which led to "poor" fishing at the Daly River.
"Last year was one of the worst barra fishing seasons in recent times," Mr Ciaravolo said.
"Systems like the Daly are highly reliant on rainfall and flood events... we even saw water allocations for Katherine cut in recognition that the environment targets wouldn't be reached."
The lack of strong freshwater inflows meant avid fishos were frequently reeling in empty lines, Mr Ciaravolo said.
However, excitement has once again picked up. "All that water will flow into the Daly system and that means better connectivity with the flood plains and a better barra fishing season."
"It is really important for the Katherine system to contribute, and when we have a good wet season it spawns better breeding and it makes barra much easier to catch,"Mr Ciaravolo said.
Eric Boyle, senior manager of service delivery and water services at Power and Water, also welcomed the inundation of water and provided reassurances the town's drinking water would remain safe and treatable.
"The river flowing at the current rate and levels ensures that any build-up of sediment and organic matter that has accumulated during the dry season and two previous wet seasons has been flushed from the catchment," he said.
"With all the recent rain, the turbidity or the muddiness of the water, which can affect our treatment process is well below the level that would impact on our ability to treat the water.
"The river level does not affect our treatment process, unless it exceeds circa 20 metres, in which case our Donkey Camp Pump station will be flooded."
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