Murray–Darling Basin
1.3 Regulated river

Supporting information

The volumetric value for the line item for the 2012–13 year was 1,019,262 ML. This line item represents the regulated river channel volumes and the volume of water held in weirs, other ponds and storages in the Murray–Darling Basin (MDB) region that are on regulated rivers.


Summary of the regulated river channel volumes and the volume of water held in weirs, other ponds, and storages that are on regulated rivers in the MDB region at the start and end of the 2012–13 year
Surface water resource plan area State  Volume at 30 June 2013 (ML)  Volume at 30 June 2012 (ML)
 Code Name
SW20 Warrego–Paroo–Nebine Qld – –
SW19 Condamine–Balonne Qld 16,704 13,415
SW18 Moonie Qld – –
SW17 Qld Border Rivers Qld – –
SW16 NSW Border Rivers NSW – –
SW12 Barwon–Darling Watercourse NSW – –
SW13 NSW Intersecting Streams NSW – –
SW15 Gwydir NSW 2,415 193
SW14 Namoi  NSW 1,767 2,641
SW11 Macquarie–Castlereagh NSW – –
Sub-total Northern Basin 20,886 16,249
SW10 Lachlan  NSW – –
SW9 Murrumbidgee NSW NSW 19,377 9,397
SW8 NSW Murray and Lower Darling NSW 320,434 597,204
SW3 Northern Victoria  Vic. 31,148 30,706
SW2 Vic. Murray Vic. 137,442 181,777
SW4 Wimmera–Mallee  Vic. – –
SW5 and SW7 SA Murray Region and Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges SA – –
SW6 SA River Murray SA 489,975 490,679
SW1 ACT ACT – –
Sub-total Southern Basin 998,376 1,309,763
Total for the region 1,019,262 1,326,012
– = Data not available

Note: Volumes shown against SW8 New South Wales Murray and Lower Darling, and SW2 Victorian Murray reflect the total volume prior to the South Australian border in the River Murray. The volume in the River Murray is shared between New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.

 

Volumes stored in river channel

Volumes stored in river channel represent in-channel storage volume excluding the water held in locks and weirs in the regulated River Murray system and the Lower Darling. The Edward and Wakool rivers, and the associated escapes and channels are part of the regulated River Murray system.


Details of the regulated river channel volumes in the MDB region at the start and end of the 2012–13 year
Water resource plan area Sustainable diversion limit area State In-channel storage Volume at 30 June 2013 (ML)
 Volume at 30 June 2012 (ML)
Code Name
SW8 NSW Murray and Lower Darling SS18 Lower Darling NSW Lower Darling 3,000 24,260
SS14 NSW Murray1 NSW Edward and Wakool rivers 14,000 32,770
NSW River Murray 165,000 395,900
SW2 Vic. Murray SS2 Vic. Murray Vic. Mitta Mitta River 500 100
SW6 SA River Murray SS11 SA Murray SA River Murray 242,200 242,500
Sub-total Southern Basin 424,700 695,530
1 The volume shown for SS14 New South Wales Murray is the total volume in the River Murray, upstream to the South Australian border, excluding the weir pools. Whilst it has been recorded against New South Wales the volume is available for sharing between New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.

 

Volumes stored in river weirs and locks

Volumes held in the weirs and locks are provided in the following table.


Details of the volume of water held in weirs and locks that are on regulated rivers in the MDB region
Water resource plan area Sustainable diversion limit area State Weir/lock name Data source Total capacity (ML) Total storage volume at 30 June 2013 (ML) Total storage volume at 30 June 2012 (ML)
Code Name
SW19 Condamine–Balonne SS26 Condamine–Balonne Qld Buckinbah Weir Bureau 5,120 5,109 3,971
Jack Taylor Weir Bureau 10,270 9,974 7,879
Moolabah Weir Bureau 2,580 1,620 1,565
SW15 Gwydir SS22 Gwydir NSW Tareelaroi Weir Bureau 2,500 2,415 193
SW14 Namoi  SS21 Namoi  NSW Gunidgera Weir Bureau 1,900 849 1,471
Mollee Weir Bureau 3,250 918 1,170
 Northern Basin 25,620 20,886 16,249
SW9 Murrumbidgee NSW SS15 Murrumbidgee  NSW NSW Berembed Weir Bureau 3,415 255 1,294
Gogeldrie Weir Bureau 7,391 1,272 771
Hay Weir Bureau 14,300 9,315 3,100
Maude Weir Bureau 4,920 4,659 3,728
Tombullen Bureau 11,230 3,876 504
SW8 NSW Murray and Lower Darling SS14 NSW Murray NSW Lock 7–Rufus River1 MDBA 10,227 10,176 11,744
Lock 8–Wangumma2 MDBA 14,984 16,189 15,587
Lock 9–Kulnine3 MDBA 32,938 35,154 34,267
Wentworth Weir (Lock 10) MDBA 48,378 48,662 47,166
Euston Weir (Lock 15)4 MDBA 36,860 28,253 35,510
SW3 Northern Victoria SS6 Goulburn Vic. Goulburn Weir  Bureau 25,525 24,953 25,245
SS8 Loddon Vic. Laanecoorie Reservoir Bureau 7,932 4,806 2,938
Newlyn Reservoir Bureau 3,215 1,389 2,523
SW2 Vic. Murray SS2 Vic. Murray  Vic. Mildura Weir MDBA 36,586 5,200 36,102
Torrumbarry Weir Bureau 36,809 36,737 34,876
Yarrawonga Weir–Lake Mulwala Bureau 117,548 95,005 110,699
SW6 SA River Murray SS11 SA Murray SA Lock 1–Blanchetown Bureau 56,480 56,993 56,562
Lock 2–Waikerie Bureau 40,368 40,289 41,155
Lock 3–Overland Corner Bureau 50,533 50,286 49,770
Lock 4–Bookpurnong Bureau 29,366 29,119 29,749
Lock 5–Renmark Bureau 36,933 37,001 36,855
Lock 6–Murtho MDBA 33,882 34,088 34,088
Southern Basin 659,820 573,676 614,233
Total for the MDB region 685,440 594,562 630,482
Bureau = Bureau of Meteorology; MDBA = Murray–Darling Basin Authority

1–3 Locks 7–9 that are managed by South Australia are physically located within the New South Wales Murray sustainable diversion limit (SDL) area. For Lock 7, the volume shown in the table was the highest volume shown in the capacity table because the actual volume on 30 June 2012 exceeded that highest volume.
4 Total capacity for Lock 15 is 21,807 ML when Euston lakes are fully disconnected.  Lakes were connected at the time of reporting for this account and the capacity stated in this table is based on the relevant new capacity table.

Quantification approach

Data source

(1) Bureau of Meteorology (the Bureau): volume stored in weirs and locks from water storage information available in the Australian Water Resources Information System (AWRIS); and (2) Murray–Darling Basin Authority: (a) volume stored in river channels from the HYDRO database  for the upstream of South Australia border, and generated from levels held in the HYDRO database, and height-volume relationship for the reach downstream of Lock 1, and (b) Volume stored in weirs and locks from the HYDRO database.

Provided by

The Bureau and Murray–Darling Basin Authority.

Method

Volume stored in river channels

  • Upstream of South Australian border: modelled. This volume does not include dead storage.
  • Downstream of Lock 1: Interpolated from capacity table established by the Murray–Darling Basin Authority.

Volume stored in weirs and locks

The Bureau:

  • Volume was calculated at the start and end of the year by using gauged water level height(s) in metres Australian height datum for each individual weir/lock.
  • The height measurement was converted to a volume using the storage-volume curve(s) of the weir/lock.

Murray–Darling Basin Authority:

  • River levels were directly measured and converted into volumes using capacity tables for the individual locks.

Assumptions, limitations, caveats and approximations

Volume stored in river channels

Reliable information on dead storage for the volumes upstream of the South Australian border is not available. Dead storage calculation within the upstream of the South Australian border is complex and is assumed to remain static over the years.

Data included in this line item has been compiled specifically for this account.

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.

Volume stored in weirs and locks

The Bureau:

  • Storage-volume curves represent specifically surveyed parts of a river, and may not reflect the storage-volume relationship across the entire river.

  • Rivers are subject to sedimentation and other physical changes over time, which in turn affects the accuracy of the storage-volume curves.

Murray–Darling Basin Authority:

  • The capacity of the lock is taken to be the volume contained in the lock at target storage/full supply level.

  • The dead storage associated with the locks is taken to be the volume in storage at the lower level of the operating range.

  • This approach allows for comparative measure across years and is preferred to estimating the total volume behind the lock wall, which cannot be accurately measured.

  • The accuracy of the capacity tables employed was not evaluated.

  • Euston Weir volume excludes the Euston Lakes.

  • Provided Mildura Weir volume is an estimate.  Mildura weir was lowered for maintenance works during June 2013.  Mildura Weir was  back to full supply level (36,586 ML) on 20 July 2013.

  • 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 information

The uncertainty estimate was not quantified.