Monthly Water Update

Rainfall was average or lower than average across 98 per cent of the area with rainfall lowest in the western part of the Basin. Total rainfall was 21 mm, 40 per cent lower than the long-term mean of 35 mm for May.

Due to the wet antecedent conditions resulting from high rainfall in the previous three months, streamflows were average to higher than average in 69 per cent of the gauges across the Basin. However, in 20 per cent of gauges in the Basin, especially in the northeast, streamflows were lower than average. The Murray River at Jingellic had the highest streamflow for May since 1980. The Lachlan River Downstream Wyangala and the Peel River at Piallamore had the lowest streamflow for May since 1980.

Median streamflow salinity (electrical conductivity) varied between sites from 27 to 6084 μS/cm. Streamflows were high quality for 65 per cent of the sites and fresh for 23 per cent of the sites. Burra Creek at Worlds End (Low Flow) had the highest salinity of all sites.

During May, storage volumes increased in ten systems, decreased in four and remained stable in four. By the end of the month, the volume of water stored was 35 per cent of the total accessible capacity, which is seven per cent higher than the previous year.