Murray–Darling Basin
21.1 Surface water allocation announcements

Supporting information
Quantification approach

Supporting information

The volumetric value for the line item for the 2012–13 year was 7,758,577 ML. The line item includes following allocation volumes in the Murray–Darling Basin (MDB) region:

surface water allocation announcements (excluding urban water systems) associated with a number of entitlement classes (7,746,597 ML)
net volume 11,980 ML, of allocation trade received.

Information on surface water allocation announcements for urban water systems is included in line item 21.2 'Surface water allocation announcements – urban water system'.

Following two tables provide a summary and breakdown information on surface water allocation announcements (excluding urban water systems) within the region.

Summary of syrface water allocation announcements (excluding urban water systems) in the MDB region
Surface water resource plan area		State/Territory	Volume (ML) for the 2012–13 year
Code	Name	State/Territory	Non-environmental	Environmental	Total
SW20	Warrego–Paroo–Nebine	Qld	1,802	0	1,802
SW19	Condamine–Balonne	Qld	114,981	0	114,981
SW18	Moonie	Qld	n/a	n/a	n/a
SW17	Qld Border Rivers	Qld	92,555	9962	102,517
SW16	NSW Border Rivers	NSW	160,282	109	160,391
SW12	Barwon–Darling Watercourse	NSW	n/a	n/a	n/a
SW13	NSW Intersecting Streams	NSW	n/a	n/a	n/a
SW15	Gwydir	NSW	104,381	5,768	110,149
SW14	Namoi	NSW	122,146	0	122,146
SW11	Macquarie–Castlereagh	NSW	119,533	93,751	213,284
*Sub-total Northern Basin*			*715,680*	*109,590*	*825,270*
SW10	Lachlan	NSW	50,567	1,917	52,484
SW9	Murrumbidgee NSW	NSW	1,753,350	310,880	2,064,230
SW8	NSW Murray and Lower Darling	NSW	1,305,897	364,648	1,670,545
SW3	Northern Victoria	Vic.	858,639	281,153	1,139,792
SW2	Vic. Murray	Vic.	923,935	365,193	1,289,128
SW4	Wimmera–Mallee	Vic.	27,540	33,538	61,078
SW7	Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges	SA	–	–	–
SW5	SA Murray Region	SA	–	–
SW6	SA River Murray	SA	498,191	145,879	644,070
SW1	ACT	ACT	n/a	n/a	n/a
*Sub-total Southern Basin*			*5,418,119*	*1,503,208*	*6,921,327*
Total for the region			6,133,799	1,612,798	7,746,597

– = Data not available

Details of surface water allocation announcements (excluding urban water systems) in the MDB region
Water resource plan area	Sustainable diversion limit area		State	Entitlement class	Volume (ML) for the 2012–13 year
Water resource plan area	Code	Name	State	Entitlement class	Non-environmental	Environmental	Total
SW20 Warrego–Paroo–Nebine	SS28	Warrego	Qld	supplemented	1,802	0	1,802
SW19 Condamine–Balonne	SS26	Condamine–Balonne	Qld	supplemented	114,981	0	114,981
SW17 Qld Border Rivers	SS24	Qld Border Rivers	Qld	supplemented	92,555	9,962	102,517
*Sub-total Queensland*					*209,338*	*9,962*	*219,300*
SW16 NSW Border Rivers	SS23	NSW Border Rivers	NSW	high security	1,500	0	1,500
				general security	157,780	109	157,889
				stock and domestic	1,002	0	1,002
				*Sub-total*	*160,282*	*109*	*160,391*
SW15 Gwydir	SS22	Gwydir	NSW	high security	9,050	5,768	14,818
				general security	92,527	0	92,527
				stock and domestic	2,744	0	2,744
				high security research	60	0	60
				*Sub-total*	*104,381*	*5,768*	*110,149*
SW14 Namoi	SS21	Namoi	NSW	high security	4,299	0	4,299
				general security	115,069	0	115,069
				stock and domestic	2,289	0	2,289
				high security research	489	0	489
				*Sub-total*	*122,146*	0	*122,146*
SW11 Macquarie–Castlereagh	SS20	Macquarie–Castlereagh	NSW	high security	13,828	0	13,828
				general security	95,770	93,751	189,521
				stock and domestic	5,590	0	5,590
				high security research	4,345	0	4,345
				*Sub-total*	*119,533*	*93,751*	*213,284*
SW10 Lachlan	SS16	Lachlan	NSW	High security	28,089	0	28,089
				general security	8,266	1,917	10,183
				stock and domestic	13,213	0	13,213
				conveyance	999	0	999
				*Sub-total*	*50,567*	*1,917*	*52,484*
SW9 Murrumbidgee NSW	SS15	Murrumbidgee NSW	NSW	high security	358,511	0	358,511
				general security	1,070,057	310,880	1,380,937
				stock and domestic	35,936	0	35,936
				conveyance	286,396	0	286,396
				high security research	300	0	300
				high security Aboriginal cultural	2,150	0	2,150
				*Sub-total*	*1,753,350*	*310,880*	*2,064,230*
SW8 NSW Murray and Lower Darling	SS18	Lower Darling	NSW	high security	7,633	0	7,633
				general security	24,994	24,892	49,886
				stock and domestic	1,369	0	1,369
				*Sub-total*	*33,996*	*24,892*	*58,888*
	SS14	NSW Murray	NSW	high security	187,541	0	187,541
				general security	736,340	339,756	1,076,096
				stock and domestic	17,173	0	17,173
				conveyance	330,000	0	330,000
				high security research	800	0	800
				high security Aboriginal cultural	0	0	0
				high security community & education	47	0	47
				*Sub-total*	*1,271,901*	*339,756*	*1,611,657*
*Sub-total New South Wales*					*3,616,156*	*777,073*	*4,393,229*
SW3 Northern Victoria	SS4	Ovens	Vic.	high reliability water share	22,939	70	23,009
	SS5	Broken	Vic.	combined high and low reliability	10,941	51	10,992
	SS6	Goulburn	Vic.	combined high and low reliability	768,544	264,261	1,032,805
	SS7	Campaspe	Vic.	combined high and low reliability	50,185	12025	62,210
	SS8	Loddon	Vic.	combined high and low reliability	6,030	4,746	10,776
SW2 Vic. Murray	SS2	Vic. Murray	Vic.	combined high and low reliability	923,935	365,193	1,289,128
SW4 Wimmera–Mallee	SS9	Wimmera–Mallee	Vic.	high reliability water share	27,540	33,538	61,078
*Sub-total Victoria*					*1,810,114*	*679,884*	*2,489,998*
SW7 Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges	SS13	Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges	SA	regulated	–	–	–
				unregulated	–	–	–
				*Sub-total*	0	0	0
	SS12	Marne Saunders	SA	regulated	–	–	–
				unregulated	–	–	–
				*Sub-total*	0	0	0
SW5 SA Murray Region	SS10	SA Non-prescribed areas	SA	regulated	–	–	–
				unregulated	–	–	–
				*Sub-total*	0	0	0
SW6 SA River Murray	SS11	SA Murray	SA	class 1: stock and domestic	8,700	0	8,700
				class 3: irrigation and holding	479,548	85,512	565,060
				class 4: recreation	4,424	0	4,424
				class 5: industrial	5,520	0	5,520
				class 7: environment	0	38,367	38,367
				class 8: environmental land management	0	22,000	22,000
				combined classes metered	0	0	0
				combined classes unmetered	0	0	0
				*Sub-total*	*498,191*	*145,879*	*644,070*
*Sub-total South Australia*					*498,191*	*145,879*	*644,070*
Total for the region					6,133,799	1,612,798	7,746,597

– = Data not available

Environmental water allocation

Allocation volumes provided in above two tables include environmental water allocations as reported by the states. For sustainable diversion limit (SDL) areas in New South Wales, provided environmental allocation is the sum for all entitlement classes.

The environmental volumes shown in the tables reflect allocations made under various environmental water programmes. It is possible that the total volume allocated during the year could be higher than the volume shown in the above tables due to data availability limitations.

Queensland

In Queensland, the resource operations 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 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, this line item includes surface water allocation announcements for both urban and non-urban supplemented entitlements.

Water supply system associated with Beardmore storage in Condamine–Balonne SDL area is predominantly a capacity share scheme and doesn't have an annual announced allocation. Announced allocation is calculated on use plus available water remaining at the end of the water year.

For Queensland Border Rivers SDL area, allocation announcement includes both the allocation announcement during the year and the remaining water available at the end of the previous year. No information was available to separate the water available at the end of the previous year from the allocation announced during the year.

The Border Rivers water supply scheme within Queensland Border Rivers SDL area is a continuous accounting scheme and doesn't have an annual announced allocation. Announced allocation is calculated on use plus available water remaining at the end of the water year; however, a part of Macintyre Brook scheme is subject to announced allocation but it is gradually moving to continuous accounting.

New South Wales

In calculating allocation announcements, impacts of implementing new water sharing plans and abolishing existing plans have been taken into account.

Water availability related to allocation announcements took into account impact of reservoir spilling.

Water use for cultural, industrial, research, community, and education activities have been categorised as non-urban. Therefore, related allocation announcements have been included in this line item.

The volume for Murrumbidgee NSW includes the allocation announcements associated with river conveyance and bulk irrigation conveyance licences within the Coleambally and Murrumbidgee irrigation areas. These bulk irrigation conveyance licences are held by irrigation corporations to provide for losses within their distribution systems.

Similarly, the volume for Murray NSW includes the allocation announcements associated with river conveyance and bulk irrigation conveyance licences within the Murray irrigation area. This bulk irrigation conveyance licence is held by an irrigation corporation to provide for losses within the distribution system.

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 SDL area have their allocation announcements shown in that area, rather than the destination valleys of the Loddon or the Campaspe.

In this line item, allocation announcements that could not be specified under high reliability water share or a low reliability water share were reported as combined high and low reliability water share.

Quantification approach

Data source

(1) New South Wales Office of Water: water accounting section; and (2) Murray–Darling Basin Authority: water audit monitoring (WAM) data received from Queensland (5 February 2014), South Australia (17 March 2014), and Victoria (14 February 2014), and stored in the HYDRO database.

Provided by

Bureau of Meteorology (the Bureau).

Method

Allocation announcements are usually the entitlements on issue multiplied by the percentage allocation announced.
Allocation announcement is calculated by the states.
WAM–supplied data are either measured, modelled or estimated.
New South Wales 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.

Assumptions, limitations, caveats and approximations

Uncertainty reported by New South Wales Office of Water includes possible errors in the data handling processes.
For Queensland, as the allocation announcement includes both the allocation and water available at the end of the previous year, the carry-over value may be understated and the allocation announcement may be overstated.
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

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

Uncertainty percentages for the jurisdiction
Jurisdiction	Entitlement class	Uncertainty percentage
Qld	Condamine–Balonne	5
Qld	Border Rivers	5
Qld	Warrego	5
NSW	All regulated non-urban	10
Vic.	Broken	10
Vic.	Goulburn	5
Vic.	Campaspe	5
Vic.	Loddon	5–15
Vic.	Ovens	18
Vic.	Kiewa	15
Vic.	Murray	5–20
Vic.	Wimmera–Mallee	5
SA	class 1	40
SA	class 3, class 4, class 5, class 7, class 8, class 9, and combined class metered	5
SA	combined classes unmetered	20
ACT	all regulated non-urban	5

Murray–Darling Basin 21.1 Surface water allocation announcements