Monthly Water Update

Rainfall was average across 48 per cent of the area and lower than average across 49 per cent of the area, spread throughout the drainage division. Three per cent of the area, in the east, received above average rainfall. Total rainfall was 22 mm, 33 per cent lower than the long-term mean of 33 mm for August.

Streamflows were higher than average (including highest on record) for 60 per cent of the sites, spread throughout the drainage division with very much above average streamflows occuring mainly in the eastern parts of the Basin. Tumut River at Oddys Bridge and the Gwydir River at Yarrowyck had the highest streamflows for August since 1980.

Median streamflow salinity (electrical conductivity) varied between sites from 32 to 6 685 μS/cm. Streamflows were high quality for 72 per cent of the sites, fresh for 17 per cent and brackish for 9 per cent of the sites. Burra Creek at Worlds End (Low Flow) had the highest salinity of all the reporting sites due to discharge from unconfined aquifers.

During August, storage volumes increased in 10 systems, decreased in five and remained stable in three. By the end of the month, the volume of water stored was 83 per cent of the total accessible capacity, which is 31 percentage points higher than the previous year.