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

The volumetric value for the line item for the 2012–13 year was 173,439 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 2012–13 year
Code	Name
SW20	Warrego–Paroo– Nebine	Qld	0
SW19	Condamine–Balonne	Qld	0
SW18	Moonie	Qld	n/a
SW17	Qld Border Rivers	Qld	0
SW16	NSW Border Rivers	NSW	83
SW12	Barwon–Darling Watercourse	NSW	0
SW13	NSW Intersecting Streams	NSW	n/a
SW15	Gwydir	NSW	823
SW14	Namoi	NSW	15,295
SW11	Macquarie–Castlereagh	NSW	4,728
Sub-total Northern Basin			20,929
SW10	Lachlan	NSW	8,030
SW9	Murrumbidgee	NSW	13,485
SW8	NSW Murray and Lower Darling	NSW	22,501
SW3	Northern Victoria	Vic.	(8,800)
SW2	Vic. Murray	Vic.	2,153
SW4	Wimmera–Malee	Vic.	41,599
SW5 and 7	SA Murray Region and Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges	SA	n/a
SW6	SA River Murray	SA	50,380
SW1	ACT	ACT	23,162
Sub-total Southern Basin			152,510
Total for the region			173,439

 

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

WRP area	Sustainable diversion limit (SDL) area		State/Territory	Entitlement class	Volume (ML) for the 2012–13 year
	Code	Name
SW16 NSW Border Rivers	SS23	NSW Border Rivers	NSW	local water utility	83
SW15 Gwydir	SS22	Gwydir	NSW	local water utility	823
SW14 Namoi	SS21	Namoi	NSW	local water utility	15,295
SW11 Macquarie–Castlereagh	SS20	Macquarie–Castlereagh	NSW	local water utility	4,688
			NSW	high security–town water supply	40
			NSW	Sub-total	4,728
SW10 Lachlan	SS16	Lachlan	NSW	local water utility	8,030
SW9 Murrumbidgee NSW	SS15	Murrumbidgee NSW	NSW	local water utility	13,485
				high security–town water supply	0
				Sub-total	13,485
SW8 NSW Murray and Lower Darling	SS18	Lower Darling	NSW	local water utility	8,935
	SS14	NSW Murray	NSW	local water utility	13,564
				high security–town water supply	2
				Sub-total	13,566
Sub-total New South Wales					64,945
SW3 Northern Victoria	SS4	Ovens	Vic.	urban–regulated	4,081
	SS5	Broken	Vic.	urban–regulated	75
	SS6	Goulburn	Vic.	urban–regulated	13,379
	SS7	Campaspe	Vic.	urban–regulated	(24,054)
	SS8	Loddon	Vic.	urban–regulated	(2,281)
SW2 Vic. Murray	SS2	Vic. Murray	Vic.	urban–regulated	2,153
SW4 Wimmera–Mallee	SS9	Wimmera–Mallee	Vic.	urban–regulated	41,599
Sub-total Victoria					34,952
SW7 Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges	SS13	Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges	SA	urban	–
	SS12	Marne Saunders	SA	urban	–
SW5 SA Murray Region	SS10	SA Non-prescribed areas	SA	urban	–
SW6 SA River Murray	SS11	SA Murray	SA	class 2: other urban (country town) water supply	2,053
				class 6: metro-Adelaide water supply scheme	48,327
				combined classes urban	0
				Sub-total	50,380
Sub-total South Australia					50,380
SW1 ACT	SS1	ACT	ACT	urban–regulated	23,162
Total for the region					173,439

  – = 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 2013 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.

New South Wales Office of Water: water accounting section; Environment and Sustainable Development Directorate of the ACT Government: water resource information database; Murray–Darling Basin Authority: WAM data received from Australian Capital Territory (5 February 2014), Queensland (5 February 2014), South Australia (17 March 2014), and Victoria (14 February 2014), and stored in the HYDRO database.

Bureau of Meteorology.

• 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.

A prior period error resulted in the restatement of the 2011–12 year volume. The volume reported in the 2012 Account for SS1 Australian Capital Territory SDL area was 28,210 ML for the 2011–12 year. This volume was 1,000 ML less than the correct volume.  This was due to a data translation error.  As a result, the line item value was updated as 286, 743 ML from previous 285,743 for 2011–12 year for the 2013 Account.