Monthly Water Update

Rainfall was highest on record across 42 per cent of the area and very much above average accross 51 per cent of the area, spread throughout the drainage division. Total rainfall was 135 mm, 255 per cent higher than the long-term mean of 38 mm for October. Rainfall was the highest for October in the past 123 years.

Streamflows were the highest on record for 68 per cent of the sites, distributed over the south, east, and north. At 54 sites streamflows were the highest for October since 1980.

Median streamflow salinity (electrical conductivity) varied between sites from 33 to 6 299 μS/cm. Streamflows were high quality for 80 per cent of the sites and brackish for five per cent of the sites. Burra Creek at Worlds End (Low Flow) had the highest salinity of all sites.

During October, storage volumes increased in nine systems, decreased in one and remained stable in eight. By the end of the month, the volume of water stored was 101 per cent of the total accessible capacity, which is 11 percentage points higher than the previous year.