Murray-Darling Basin
21.2 Surface water allocation announcements - urban system

The volumetric value for the line item for the 2010–11 year was 538,844 ML. The line item represents surface water allocation announcements for urban water systems associated with a number of entitlement classes in the Murray–Darling Basin (MDB) region.

The following two tables provide a summary and breakdown information on surface water allocation announcements for urban water systems within the region.

 

Summary of surface water allocation announcements for urban water systems in the MDB region

Water resource plan area		State	Volume (ML) for the 2010–11 year
Code	Name
SW19	Warrego – Paroo – Nebine	Qld	0
SW18	Condamine–Balonne	Qld	0
SW17	Moonie	Qld	na
SW16	Qld Border Rivers	Qld	0
SW15	NSW Border Rivers	NSW	620
SW11	Barwon–Darling watercourse	NSW	0
SW12	NSW Intersecting Streams	NSW	na
SW14	Gwydir	NSW	3,836
SW13	Namoi	NSW	18,849
SW10	Macquarie–Castlereagh	NSW	18,845
Sub-total Northern Basin			42,150
SW9	Lachlan	NSW	15,545
SW8	Murrumbidgee NSW	NSW	43,355
SW7	NSW Murray and Lower Darling	NSW	46,827
SW3	Northern Victoria	Vic	104,883
SW2	Vic Murray	Vic	51,784
SW4	Wimmera–Mallee	Vic	na
SW6	Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges	SA	na
SW5	SA Murray	SA	163,300
SW1	ACT	ACT	71,000
Sub-total Southern Basin			496,694
Total for the region			538,844

na = not applicable

 

Details of surface water allocation announcements for urban water systems in the MDB region

Water resource plan area	Sustainable diversion limit area		State	Entitlement class	Volume (ML) for the 2010–11 year
	Code	Name
NSW Border Rivers	SS23	NSW Border Rivers	NSW	Local water utility	620
Gwydir	SS22	Gwydir	NSW	Local water utility	3,836
Namoi	SS21	Namoi	NSW	Local water utility	18,849
Macquarie–Castlereagh	SS20	Macquarie–Castlereagh	NSW	Local water utility	18,805
				High security – town water supply	40
				Sub-total	18,845
Lachlan	SS16	Lachlan	NSW	Local water utility	15,545
Murrumbidgee NSW	SS15	Murrumbidgee NSW	NSW	Local water utility	23,586
				High security – town water supply	19,769
				Sub-total	43,355
NSW Murray and Lower Darling	SS18	Lower Darling	NSW	Local water utility	10,135
	SS14	NSW Murray	NSW	Local water utility	33,497
				High security – town water supply	3,195
				Sub-total	36,692
Sub-total New South Wales					147,877
Northern Victoria	SS4	Ovens	Vic	Urban – regulated	7,832
	SS5	Broken	Vic	Urban – regulated	2,260
	SS6	Goulburn	Vic	Urban – regulated	41,212
	SS7	Campaspe	Vic	Urban – regulated	50,475
	SS8	Loddon	Vic	Urban – regulated	3,104
Vic Murray	SS2	Vic Murray	Vic	Urban	51,784
Sub-total Victoria					156,667
Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges	SS13	Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges	SA	Urban	–
SA Murray	SS11	SA Murray	SA	Class 2 – other urban (country town) water supply	33,300
				Class 6 – Metro-Adelaide water supply scheme	130,000
				Sub-total	163,300
	SS10	SA Non-prescribed areas	SA	Urban	–
Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges	SS12	Marne–Saunders	SA	Urban	–
Sub-total South Australia					163,300
ACT	SS1	ACT	SA	Urban – regulated	71,000
Total for the region					538,844

 – = no data available

 

Queensland

In Queensland, the resource operation plans (ROPs) distinguish between high and medium priority of supplemented water allocation. The water audit monitoring (WAM) data, which are the data source for the 2011 Account, only distinguish between supplemented and unsupplemented entitlements. Both urban and non-urban supplemented entitlements are included within supplemented entitlement class. Supplemented urban and supplemented non-urban volumes on allocations, diversions and other attributes were received together and it was not possible for these to be separated out for two purposes. Therefore, surface water allocation announcements for both urban and non-urban supplemented entitlements are included in line item 21.1 Surface water allocation announcements.

New South Wales

New South Wales volumes reported in this line item contain the allocation announcements made under major and local water utility classes as well as the high security town water supply class.

Victoria

Victorian allocation announcements are shown in the source valley, even if the water was taken in a different destination valley. Therefore all entitlements in the Goulburn sustainable diversion limit (SDL) area have their allocation announcements shown in that area, rather than the destination valleys of the Loddon or the Campaspe.

Transfers to Melbourne via the North–South pipeline occur under a commercial arrangement and not under an entitlement. Therefore, no separate allocation volumes are available.

Australian Capital Territory

In the Australian Capital Territory, no formal allocation announcement is made to extract water from storages. The allocation announcement for the year is assumed to be equal to the total entitlement volume.

(1) New South Wales: NSW Office of Water's Water Accounting section, and (2) WAM data received from Australian Capital Territory (13 January 2012), Queensland (22 December 2011) South Australia (07 February 2012) and Victoria (31 January 2012). WAM data are stored in the Murray–Darling Basin Authority HYDRO database.

Murray–Darling Basin Authority.

Allocation announcements are usually the entitlements on issue multiplied by the percentage allocation announced.

Allocation announcement is calculated by the states and provided to the Murray–Darling Basin Authority.

WAM-supplied data are either measured, modelled or estimated.

NSW Office of Water supplied data are prepared on a water balance approach. It implies that the movement of values during the year will balance the opening and closing balances. The forfeitures and adjustments have been checked to ensure that the closing balance reconciles.

Uncertainty estimates reported by NSW Office of Water include possible errors in the data handling processes.

Information provided in this line item may have been based on Cap valleys in the HYDRO database, which may not align perfectly with SDL areas.

Uncertainty of allocation announcements may in part be due to existing entitlements being converted into a different class, new entitlements issued, or entitlements cancelled following commissioning of a water saving infrastructure project.

The table below shows the WAM uncertainty percentages and the measurement method applied that relates to the reported percentage. 

 

WAM uncertainty percentages

Percentage (%)	Accuracy description
5	Metered diversions
10	Estimate based on user meter readings
20	Detailed estimate based on regional surveys
40	Estimate based on user returns

 

The following table below outlines the WAM uncertainty percentage for each entitlement class for each jurisdiction.

 

Uncertainty percentages for the jurisdictions

State	Entitlement class	Uncertainty (%)
Qld	Condamine–Balonne	5
Qld	Border Rivers	5
Qld	Moonie System	na
Qld	Nebine	na
Qld	Warrego	5
Qld	Paroo	na
NSW	Combined NSW regulated data reliability	10
Vic	Goulburn–Broken	15
Vic	Campaspe	5
Vic	Loddon	5
Vic	Ovens	5
Vic	Murray	6
SA	Class 2 and Class 6	5
ACT	All classes	5

na = not quantified

This line item corresponds to line items listed in the following table and reported in the 2010 Account. In the 2011 Account, the following change was made that caused the 2009–10 year value to be restated:

• Presentation and classification of the line items has changed since the 2010 Account.

The changes and their respective values are detailed in the following table.

 

Restatement of comparative year information made for the line item 21.2 Surface water allocation announcements – urban water system

Description		Northern Basin (ML)	Southern Basin (ML)	Whole region (ML)
Line item names and values reported as at the 2009–10 year in the 2010 Account	25.1.2.4 Allocation announcement on regulated flows – high security, urban holder	4,934	204,481	209,415
	25.1.4 Allocation announcement/claim recognition on regulated flows – urban water access entitlement/arrangement	42,082	118,028	160,110
	25.1.9.4 Allocation announcement on regulated flows – urban holder	9,710	0	9,710
	Total value reported for the 2010 Account	56,726	322,509	379,235
Changes in the value reported in the 2010 Account due to regrouping of line items		–4,894	118,669	113,775
Value reported for the 2009–10 year in the 2011 Account		51,832	441,178	493,010

 

Changes in the value reported in the 2010 Account due to regrouping, presentation and classification change of line items were due to the following reasons:

• The high security entitlement classes within New South Wales for research, industrial, cultural, community and education were reported under urban line items in the 2010 Account.  Allocation announcements associated with these entitlement classes were designated as non-urban and excluded from this line item for the 2011 Account.   

• In the 2010 Account Victorian allocation announcements were not separated into urban and non-urban and reported under line item 25.1.9.7 Allocation announcement on regulated flows – other lumped holders. For the 2011 Account, these volumes were restated after separating into urban and non-urban entitlement classes.

•  In the 2010 Account, allocation was considered as equal to diverted volume for Australian Capital Territory water resource plan area.  For the 2011 Account, allocation was considered as the total water access entitlement aligning with information provided in the Canberra water account.  As a result, 2009-10 allocation volume for Australian Capital Territory water resource plan area in the 2011 Account was 71,000 ML (increase of 25,779 ML).