Murray–Darling Basin

The volumetric value for the line item at the end of 2009–10 is 7,346,102 ML.

This line item represents the volume of water held in storages that are used to supply water for entitlements in regulated systems. The volume reported for this line item includes the volume of dead storage. 

The following link provides a table which details the storage volumes in the Murray–Darling Basin (MDB) for 2009–10.

 Details of the storage volumes in the Murray–Darling Basin

Specific details of individual storages for each Murray–Darling Basin planning region are provided in the above table. Volumetric data for a number of small reservoirs were not received at the time of compilation of this note, and are therefore not included in the table.

Murray–Darling Basin planning regions and their unique identification numbers have been defined in the note ‘Water rights, entitlements, allocations and trade’.

A number of mid-river storages, locks, weirs and the like also support the delivery of water. These storages form part of the river channel and usually only provide very short-term supply. The volume for a number of these storages is reported in Line item 1.3 Regulated channel. Water may also be used from lakes and wetlands within the MDB, as reported in Line item 1.4 Lakes and wetlands – connected.   

This line item comprises two different data-sets. The method for each data-set is shown below.

Note a: Bureau of Meteorology

Data source

Water storages, Australian Water Resources Information System (AWRIS).

Data provider

Bureau of Meteorology.

Method

Storage volume is measured at the start and end of the reporting period by using gauged water level height(s) in metres Australian Height Datum (mAHD) for individual storages. The height measurement is converted to a volume using the storage-volume curve(s) of the storage.

Uncertainty

Ungraded.

Approximations, assumptions, caveats/limitations

• Storage-volume curves represent specifically surveyed parts of the water storage, and may not reflect the storage-volume relationship across the entire storage.
• Water storages are subject to sedimentation and other physical changes over time, which in turn affect the accuracy of the storage-volume curves.

Note b: Murray–Darling Basin Authority

Data source

HYDRO database (also known as BSIS).

Data provider

Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA).

Method

Values have been provided to the MDBA as part of the water audit monitoring report data.

Uncertainty

Ungraded.

Approximations, assumptions, caveats/limitations

Nil.