Murray–Darling Basin
1.1 Storages

Supporting information

The volumetric value for the line item at the end of the 2012–13 year was 16,011,790 ML.

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

Volumetric data for a number of small storages were not received at the time of compilation of this note, and are therefore not included in the following table.

A number of mid-river storages, locks, weirs and the likes 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 river. Water may also be used from lakes and wetlands within the Murray–Darling Basin (MDB), as reported in line item 1.4 Lakes and wetlands.

Storage information was categorised according to MDB surface water resources plan (WRP) areas. Storage information on a WRP area basis was summarised in the following table. Specific details of individual storages are included in the second table.


Summary of storage volumes in the MDB region at the start and end of the 2012–13 year
Surface water resource plan area State/Territory  Volume at 30 June 2013 (ML) Volume at 30 June 2012 (ML)
Code Name
SW20 Warrego–Paroo–Nebine Qld – –
SW19 Condamine–Balonne Qld 138,397 202,730
SW18 Moonie Qld – –
SW17 Qld Border Rivers Qld 294,245 287,286
SW16 NSW Border Rivers NSW 201,377 277,359
SW12 Barwon–Darling Watercourse NSW – –
SW13 NSW Intersecting Streams NSW – –
SW15 Gwydir NSW 1,007,993 1,300,322
SW14 Namoi  NSW 591,660 815,003
SW11 Macquarie–Castlereagh NSW 738,744 1,432,009
Sub-total Northern Basin 2,972,416 4,314,709
SW10 Lachlan  NSW 892,797 1,352,523
SW9 Murrumbidgee NSW NSW 1,576,756 2,512,348
SW8 NSW Murray and Lower Darling NSW 3,625,633 5,302,754
SW3 Northern Victoria  Vic. 2,990,837 3,981,323
SW2 Vic. Murray Vic. 3,650,141 3,351,176
SW4 Wimmera–Mallee Vic. 121,920 166,225
SW5 and SW7 SA Murray Region and Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges SA – –
SW6 SA River Murray SA – –
SW1 ACT  ACT 181,290 206,139
Sub-total Southern Basin 13,039,374 16,872,487
Total for the region 16,011,790 21,187,196

 – = Data not available

Note: Volumes shown against a WRP area are based on storages geographically located within that area. Volumes shown for NSW Murray and Lower Darling, and Victorian Murray also serve other WRP areas.


Details of individual storages in the MDB region at the start and end of the 2012–13 year
Water resource plan area Sustainable diversion limit area State/Territory Storage name Additional site information Dead storage (ML) Total capacity1 (ML) Total storage volume2 at 30 June 2013 (ML) Total storage volume3 at 30 June 2012 (ML)
Code Name
SW19 Condamine–Balonne SS26 Condamine–Balonne Qld Beardmore (Lake Kajarabie) Balonne River  1,537 81,700 80,718 81,311
Qld Chinchilla Weir Condamine River  118 9,780 9,536 10,447
Qld Cooby Creek Reservoir Cooby Creek 1,464 21,166 21,166 20,855
Qld Lake Leslie Sandy Creek  2,123 106,250 26,617 88,647
Qld Neil Turner Weir Maranoa River near Mitchell 360 1,470 360 1,470
SW17 Qld Border rivers  SS24 Qld Border rivers  Qld Lake Coolmunda Macintyre Brook 215 69,060 64,777 42,376
Qld Lake Glenlyon  Pike Creek 1,770 252,655 229,468 244,910
SW16 NSW Border Rivers  SS23 NSW Border Rivers  NSW Pindari Lake Severn River  80 312,000 201,377 277,359
SW15 Gwydir SS22 Gwydir NSW Lake Copeton Gwydir River  18,487 1,361,395 1,007,993 1,300,322
SW14 Namoi  SS21 Namoi  NSW Chaffey Reservoir Peel River  2,359 61,827 50,098 61,863
NSW Lake Keepit Namoi River  6,577 425,513 192,166 422,990
NSW Split Rock Reservoir Manilla River  3,156 397,397 349,396 330,150
SW11 Macquarie–Castlereagh SS20 Macquarie–Castlereagh NSW Lake Burrendong Macquarie River  33,774 1,190,029 531,915 1,216,616
NSW Lake Windamere Cudgegong River  1,131 368,120 206,829 215,393
Northern Basin 73,151 4,658,362 2,972,416 4,314,709
SW10 Lachlan  SS16 Lachlan  NSW Carcoar Lake Belubula River  214 36,131 22,701 36,088
NSW Lake Brewster Lachlan River  0 145,369 26,231 117,193
NSW Lake Cargelligo Lachlan River  6,370 36,533 27,245 37,755
NSW Lake Wyangala Lachlan River  725 1,217,761 816,620 1,161,487
SW9 Murrumbidgee NSW SS15 Murrumbidgee  NSW NSW Blowering Reservoir Tumut River  23,992 1,633,852 1,147,103 1,552,683
NSW Lake Burrinjuck Murrumbidgee River  3,291 1,026,327 429,653 959,665
SW8 NSW Murray and Lower Darling SS18 Lower Darling NSW Lake Cawndilla  Darling River–forms part of Menindee Lakes 86,080 631,052 386,672 655,200
NSW Lake Menindee4 Darling River–forms part of Menindee Lakes 60,860 629,488 287,341 661,936
NSW Lake Pamamaroo  Darling River–forms part of Menindee Lakes 28,930 277,725 342,852 343,580
NSW Lake Victoria5 River Murray  100,041 676,621 485,818 482,522
NSW Lake Wetherell  Darling River–forms part of Menindee Lakes 522 193,178 234,878 257,104
SS14 NSW Murray NSW Lake Hume6 River Murray 1,789 3,038,182 1,888,073 2,902,412
SW3 Northern Victoria SS4 Ovens Vic. Lake Buffalo  Buffalo River  3,791 23,340 11,341 13,154
Vic. Lake William Hovell King River  900 13,730 13,552 13,889
SS5 Broken  Vic. Lake Nillahcootie  Broken River 750 40,403 25,060 40,775
Vic. McCall Say Reservoir Ryans Creek – 1,125 1,125 1,125
SS6 Goulburn Vic. Greens Lake  Supplements Waranga Western Channel 4,511 32,486 10,436 17,329
Vic. Lake Eildon  Goulburn River  84,011 3,334,160 2,339,864 2,999,379
Vic. Waranga Basin  Goulburn River  124,000 432,362 165,066 367,613
SS7 Campaspe Vic. Lake Eppalock  Campaspe River  1,117 304,652 231,510 271,779
Vic. Lauriston Reservoir Coliban River 1 19,790 14,890 15,270
Vic. Malmsbury Reservoir Malmsbury Reservoir on Coliban River 0 17,225 4,124 5,568
Vic. Upper Coliban Reservoir Coliban River 78 37,770 27,886 37,890
SS8 Loddon Vic. Barkers Creek Reservoir Barkers Creek – 1,673 1,390 1,678
Vic. Cairn Curran Reservoir Loddon River  300 147,132 97,400 131,391
Vic. McCay Reservoir Green Creek – 1,365 1,219 906
Vic. Sandhurst Reservoir Off-stream, Bendigo – 2,405 1,862 1,167
Vic. Spring Gully Reservoir Spring Creek – 1,680 216 216
Vic. Tullaroop Reservoir Tullaroop Creek 7,000 72,948 43,896 62,194
SW2 Vic. Murray SS2 Vic. Murray  Vic. Lake Dartmouth7 Mitta Mitta River  80,002 3,907,700 3,650,141 3,351,176
SW4 Wimmera–Mallee  SS9 Wimmera–Mallee  Vic. Lake Bellfield Fyans Creek 980 78,560 61,224 66,491
Vic. Lake Fyans Off Stream–Fyans Creek  1,010 18,460 12,458 12,581
Vic. Lake Lonsdale Mount William Creek 0 65,480 5,727 28,204
Vic. Lake Taylor Potter Creek 2,920 33,702 10,101 13,540
Vic. Toolondo Reservoir Off stream–Mt Talbot Creek 0 92,431 17,320 24,924
Vic. Wartook Reservoir MacKennzie River 2,000 29,300 15,090 20,485
SW1 ACT SS1 ACT ACT Bendora Reservoir Cotter River  97 11,543 8,221 9,977
ACT Corin Reservoir Cotter River  110 70,897 42,448 70,909
ACT Cotter Reservoir Cotter River  3,178 79,375 9,537 3,847
ACT Googong Reservoir8 Queanbeyan River  1,675 121,084 121,084 121,406
Southern Basin 631,245 18,534,997 13,039,374 16,872,487
Whole MDB region 704,396 23,193,359 16,011,790 21,187,196
– = Data not available
1–3 Dead storage volumes are excluded for McCall Say, Barkers Creek, McCay, Sandhurst, and Spring Gully reservoirs.
4 The volume in Lake Menindee is available for Lower Darling, Victorian Murray, and South Australian Murray sustainable diversion limit (SDL) areas.
5 The volume in Lake Victoria is available for Victorian Murray and South Australian Murray SDL areas.
6–7 The volume in Lake Hume and Lake Dartmouth is available for NSW Murray and Victorian Murray SDL areas.
8 The volume in Googong Reservoir is available for Australian Capital Territory SDL area. Therefore, the reservoir is included under that SDL area although located within New South Wales.

Quantification approach

Data source

Bureau of Meteorology (the Bureau): Water storages, Australian Water Information System (AWRIS); Maranoa regional Council: information received for Neil Turner Weir; and NSW State Water Corporation: information for Lake Brewster.

Provided by

The Bureau.

Method

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

Assumptions, limitations, caveats and approximations

  • 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.

 

Uncertainty information

The uncertainty estimate was not quantified.