Murray–Darling Basin
13.2 Adjustment and forfeiture of surface water allocation – urban water system

The volumetric value for the line item for the 2011–12 year was 285,743 ML. The line item includes adjustment and forfeiture of surface water allocation for urban water systems in the Murray–Darling Basin (MDB) region.

Adjustment and forfeiture of surface water allocation

The following two tables provide a summary and breakdown information on adjustment and forfeiture of surface water allocations for urban water systems within the region. 

Summary of adjustment and forfeiture of surface water allocation for urban water systems in the MDB region

Water Resource Plan (WRP) area		State/Territory	Volume (ML) for the 2010–11 year
Code	Name
SW19	Warrego–Paroo–Nebine	Qld	0
SW18	Condamine–Balonne	Qld	0
SW17	Moonie	Qld	n/a
SW16	Qld Border Rivers	Qld	0
SW15	NSW Border Rivers	NSW	175
SW11	Barwon–Darling Watercourse	NSW	0
SW12	NSW Intersecting Streams	NSW	n/a
SW14	Gwydir	NSW	2,202
SW13	Namoi	NSW	18,076
SW10	Macquarie–Castlereagh	NSW	9,568
Sub-total Northern Basin			30,021
SW9	Lachlan	NSW	10,474
SW8	Murrumbidgee NSW	NSW	15,319
SW7	NSW Murray and Lower Darling	NSW	26,711
SW3	Northern Victoria	Vic.	55,627
SW2	Vic. Murray	Vic.	6,469
SW4	Wimmera–Mallee	Vic.	41,669
SW6	Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges	SA	n/a
SW5	SA Murray	SA	71,243
SW1	ACT	ACT	28,210
Sub-total Southern Basin			255,722
Total for the region			285,743

 

 

Details of adjustment and forfeiture of surface water allocation for urban water systems in the MDB region

Water resource plan area	Sustainable diversion limit (SDL) area		State/Territory	Entitlement class	Volume (ML) for the 2011–12 year
	Code	Name
SW15 NSW Border Rivers	SS23	NSW Border Rivers	NSW	Local water utility	175
SW14 Gwydir	SS22	Gwydir	NSW	Local water utility	2,202
SW13 Namoi	SS21	Namoi	NSW	Local water Utility	18,076
SW10 Macquarie–Castlereagh	SS20	Macquarie–Castlereagh	NSW	Local water utility	9,528
			NSW	High security – town water supply	40
			NSW	Sub-total	9,568
SW9 Lachlan	SS16	Lachlan	NSW	Local water utility	10,474
SW9 Murrumbidgee NSW	SS15	Murrumbidgee NSW	NSW	Local water utility	15,319
				High security – town water supply	0
				Sub-total	15,319
SW7 NSW Murray and Lower Darling	SS18	Lower Darling	NSW	Local water utility	9,029
	SS14	NSW Murray	NSW	Local water utility	17,682
				High security – town water supply	0
				Sub-total	17,682
Sub-total New South Wales					82,525
SW3 Northern Victoria	SS4	Ovens	Vic.	Urban–regulated	4,319
	SS5	Broken	Vic.	Urban–regulated	1,041
	SS6	Goulburn	Vic.	Urban–regulated	15,429
	SS7	Campaspe	Vic.	Urban–regulated	35,482
	SS8	Loddon	Vic.	Urban–regulated	-644
SW2 Vic. Murray	SS2	Vic Murray	Vic.	Urban–regulated	6,469
SW4 Wimmera–Mallee	SS9	Wimmera–Mallee	Vic.	Urban–regulated	41,669
Sub-total Victoria					103,765
SW6 Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges	SS13	Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges	SA	Urban	–
SW5 SA Murray	SS11	SA Murray	SA	Class 2 – Other urban (country town) water supply	–
				Class 6 – Metro-Adelaide water supply scheme	–
				Combined classes urban	71,243
				Sub-total	71,243
	SS10	SA Non-prescribed areas	SA	Urban	–
SW6 Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges	SS12	Marne Saunders	SA	Urban	–
Sub-total South Australia					71,243
SW1 ACT	SS1	ACT	ACT	Urban–regulated	28,210
Total for the region					285,743

– = Data not 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 2012 Account, only distinguish between supplemented and unsupplemented entitlements. Both urban and non-urban 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 is not possible for these to be separated out for two purposes. Therefore, adjustment and forfeiture of surface water allocation for both urban and non-urban supplemented entitlements are included in line item 13.1 Adjustment and forfeiture of surface water allocation.     

New South Wales

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

Victoria

Victorian allocation adjustment and forfeiture are shown in the source valley, even though the water was taken in a different destination valley. Therefore all entitlements in the Goulburn SDL area have their allocation adjustments and forfeiture shown in that area, rather than the destination valleys of the Loddon or the Campaspe.

South Australia

In this line item for South Australia, adjustment and forfeiture volumes include the classes 2 and 6 as a combined class urban. 

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. The difference between the allocation announcement and the allocation diversion is considered as forfeited.

(1) New South Wales Office of Water: water accounting section; (2) Environment and Sustainable Development Directorate of the ACT Government: water resource information database; and (3) Murray–Darling Basin Authority: WAM data received from Australian Capital Territory (10 January 2013), Queensland (4 February 2013), South Australia (15 March 2013), and Victoria (21 March 2013), and stored in the HYDRO database.

Bureau of Meteorology (the Bureau).

• In Queensland allocation remaining is generally not available in the supplemented systems for urban holders and therefore all allocation remaining at the end of the year is forfeited. This does not apply in the St George (Condamine–Balonne SDL area), Border Rivers and Macintyre Brook (Queensland Border Rivers SDL area) water supply schemes which are continuous share schemes. Allocation adjustment and forfeiture is calculated using WAM data on a water balance approach.
• The New South Wales Office of Water supplied data are prepared on a water balance approach. The forfeitures and adjustments have been checked to ensure that the closing balance reconciles.
• Victorian adjustment and forfeiture was calculated applying a water balance approach to WAM data.
• In ACT and South Australia unused urban allocation is not available for carry-over into the next year. The allocation adjustment and forfeiture is calculated as the difference between the allocation announced and the allocation diverted. Despite this, provision has been made under the Murray–Darling Basin agreement to store and support delivery of South Australian's critical human water needs for the forthcoming year (as a share of the South Australian's entitlement to River Murray water).

 

Uncertainty reported by New South Wales Office of Water accounts for possible errors in the quantification of diversion and 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.

WAM supplied data are either measured, modelled or estimated. Uncertainty for volumes provided for New South Wales was estimated to be +/– 10%. The uncertainty estimate was not quantified for all other adjustment and forfeiture volumes included in this line item.

Availability of updated information resulted in the restatement of the 2010–11 year volume. For the 2012 Account, Adjustment and forfeiture volume for SA Murray SDL area reported in the 2011 Account has been increased by 17,700 ML for the 2010–11 year due to updated information. The respective volumes associated with the change are detailed in the following table.

 

Restatement of comparative year information made for the line item 13.2 Adjustment and forfeiture of surface water allocation – urban water system

Segment	2012 Account volume for the 2010–11 year (ML)	2011 Account volume for the 2010–11 year (ML)	Difference due to availability of updated information (ML)
Northern Basin	26,606	26,606	0
Southern Basin	262,492	244,792	17,700
Whole region	289,098	271,398	17,700