Murray–Darling Basin
9.1 Precipitation on surface water

Supporting information

The volumetric value for the line item at the end of the 2012–13 year was 1,160,129 ML.

The line item represents precipitation volumes on surface water assets within the Murray–Darling Basin (MDB) region. Precipitation on storages (included in line item 1.1 Storages); regulated river channels, locks and weirs (included in line item 1.3 Regulated river); lakes (included in line item 1.4 Lakes and wetlands); and other known water bodies within the region were taken into account in the line item. Information on precipitation on other surface water assets (mainly unregulated rivers and unknown water bodies) is not available.

Precipitation volumes on surface water assets on a surface water resources plan (WRP) area basis is summarised in the following table. Specific details of precipitation on individual asset basis are included in the table thereafter. In the tables, volumes shown against a WRP or surface water sustainable diversion limit (SDL) area are based on surface water assets geographically located within that area.


Summary of precipitation volumes on surface water assets in the MDB region during the 2012–13 year
Surface water resource plan area State  Volume (ML) 
 Code

Name
SW20 Warrego–Paroo–Nebine Qld –
SW19 Condamine–Balonne Qld 21,400
SW18 Moonie Qld –
SW17 Qld Border Rivers Qld 20,559
SW16 NSW Border Rivers NSW 6,218
SW12 Barwon–Darling Watercourse NSW –
SW13 NSW Intersecting Streams NSW –
SW15 Gwydir NSW 33,597
SW14 Namoi  NSW 32,161
SW11 Macquarie–Castlereagh NSW 43,809
Sub-total Northern Basin 157,744
SW10 Lachlan  NSW 49,455
SW9 Murrumbidgee NSW NSW 51,987
SW8 NSW Murray and Lower Darling NSW 262,031
SW3 Northern Victoria  Vic. 134,034
SW2 Vic. Murray Vic. 116,809
SW4 Wimmera-Mallee  Vic. 24,413
SW5 and SW7 SA Murray Region and Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges SA –
SW6 SA River Murray SA 352,052
SW1 ACT ACT 11,604
Sub-total Southern Basin 1,002,385
Total for the region 1,160,129
– = Data not available


Details of precipitation volumes on surface water assets in the MDB region during the 2012–13 year
Water resource plan area

Sustainable diversion limit area

 State Surface water asset  Volume for the 2012–13 year (ML)
Code

Name
SW19 Condamine–Balonne SS26 Condamine–Balonne Qld Buckinbah Weir1 732
Chinchilla Weir1 2,334
Connolly Reservoir2 296
Cooby Creek Reservoir2 2,909
Jack Taylor Weir1 842
Lake Kajarabie1  7,369
Lake Leslie1  6,593
Moolabah Weir1 290
Neil Turner Weir2 35
SW17 Qld Border Rivers SS24 Qld Border Rivers Qld Glenlyon Lake1 12,244
Lake Coolmunda1  7,314
Storm King Reservoir2 1,001
SW16 NSW Border Rivers SS23 NSW Border Rivers NSW Lake Inverell2  279
Pindari Lake1 5,676
Tenterfield Creek Reservoir 2 263
SW15 Gwydir SS22 Gwydir NSW Lake Copeton1  33,049
Tareelaroi Weir1 548
SW14 Namoi  SS21 Namoi  NSW Chaffey Reservoir1 251
Dungowen Reservoir2 385
Gunidgera Weir1 260
Lake Keepit1  18,063
Mollee Weir1 489
Quipolly Reservoir2 704
Split Rock Reservoir1 12,008
SW11 Macquarie–Castlereagh SS20 Macquarie–Castlereagh NSW Chifley Reservoir2 1,625
Lake Burrendong1  27,408
Lake Oberon2  3,024
Lake Windamere1  9,106
Rylstone Reservoir2 605
Spring Creek Reservoir2 608
Suma Park Reservoir2 1,108
Timor Reservoir2 146
Winburndale Reservoir2 180
Northern Basin 157,744
SW10 Lachlan  SS16 Lachlan  NSW Carcoar Lake1 2,077
Lake Brewster1  17,328
Lake Cargelligo1  3,895
Lake Endeavour2  262
Lake Rowlands2  594
Lake Wyangala1  25,298
SW9 Murrumbidgee NSW SS15 Murrumbidgee NSW NSW Berembed Weir1 324
Blowering Reservoir1 26,928
Gogeldrie Weir1 577
Hay Weir1 1,051
Lake Burrinjuck1  21,786
Maude Weir1 375
Redbank Weir2 39
Tombullen Storage1 906
SW8 NSW Murray and Lower Darling SS18 Lower Darling NSW Lake Cawndilla1  26,242
Lake Menindee1  37,245
Lake Victoria1  19,463
Lake Wetherell1  22,156
Pamamaroo Lake1 16,872
Stephens Creek Reservoir2 1,393
SS14 NSW Murray NSW Lake Hume1  117,438
Upstream of Lock 7 (Rufus)2 830
Upstream of Lock 8 (Wangumma)2 1,166
Upstream of Lock 9 (Kulnine)2 1,846
Upstream of Lock 10 (Wentworth)2 1,805
Upstream of Lock 15 (Euston)2 15,573
SW2 Vic. Murray SS3 Kiewa Vic. Lake Guy2  147
Rocky Valley Storage2 4,290
SW3 Northern Victoria SS4 Ovens Vic. Lake Buffalo1  2,234
Lake William Hovell1 1,026
SS5 Broken Vic. Lake Nillahcootie1  3,089
McCall Say Reservoir1 186
SS6 Goulburn  Vic. Goulburn Weir 1 3,851
Greens Lake1 1,870
Lake Eildon1  71,861
Waranga Basin1 15,692
SS7 Campaspe Vic. Campaspe Weir2 76
Lake Eppalock1  10,815
Lauriston Reservoir2 1,425
Malmsbury Reservoir2 1,758
Upper Coliban Reservoir2 1,967
SS8 Loddon Vic. Barkers Creek Reservoir2 285
Cairn Curran Reservoir1 5,819
Crusoe Reservoir2 113
Evansford Reservoir2 120
Hepburn Lagoon2 657
Kow Swamp2 6,721
Laanecoorie Reservoir 1 1,290
McCay Reservoir2 92
Newlyn Reservoir 1 353
Sandhurst Reservoir2 125
Spring Gully Reservoir2 151
Tullaroop Reservoir1 2,459
SW2 Vic. Murray SS2 Vic. Murray Vic. Kangaroo/Racecourse Lake2 3,045
Lake Banimboola2  533
Lake Dartmouth1  61,903
Lake Mulwala1 17,408
Mildura Weir2  225
Reedy/Middle Lake2 1,014
Third Lake2 581
Torrumbarry Weir1 2,768
Upstream of Lake Mulwala2 17,408
Upstream of Mildura Weir2 7,485
SW4 Wimmera–Mallee SS9 Wimmera–Mallee  Vic. Dock Lake1  1,731
Green Lake1  2,049
Lake Batyo Catyo1 187
Lake Bellfield1  2,410
Lake Fyans1  1,818
Lake Lonsdale1  5,778
Lake Taylor1  1,116
Lake Whitton2  244
Pine Lake1  1,150
Toolondo Reservoir1 3,215
Wartook Reservoir1 4,715
SW6 SA River Murray SS11 SA Murray SA Blanchetown Weir – Lock 11 7,664
Bookpurnong Weir – Lock 41 1,366
Lake Albert1 73,095
Lake Alexandrina1 251,632
Overland Weir – Lock 31 2,163
Renmark Weir – Lock 51 1,603
Upstream of Lock 6 (Murtho)2 2,312
Upstream of Lake Alexandrina2 10,437
Waikerie Weir – Lock 21 1,780
SW1 ACT SS1 ACT ACT Bendora Reservoir1 599
Corin Reservoir1 2,332
Cotter Reservoir1 251
Googong Reservoir1 4,242
Lake Burley Griffin 2 3,146
Lake Ginninderra2  620
Lake Tuggeranong2 414
Southern Basin 1,002,385
Total for the region 1,160,129
1 Dynamic surface area used
2 Static surface area used (based on boundaries defined for surface water bodies in Bureau of Meteorology's [the Bureau's] Australian hydrological geospatial fabric [AHGF]).

 

Quantification approach

Data source

The Bureau: (a) National Climate Centre (NCC) daily climate grids (rainfall), (b) AHGF waterbody feature class, and (c) Australian water resources information system (AWRIS) water storage.

Provided by

The Bureau.

Method

Monthly precipitation data was produced by the Bureau. It was based on daily data from approximately 6,500 rain gauge stations and interpolated to a 0.05 degree (approximately 5 km) national grid (Jones et al. 2007).

The precipitation at each waterbody was estimated from the proportionally weighted average of grid points that intersected each water feature. The volume was then estimated using the surface area of each waterbody. The surface area varied dynamically with changing level for storages, lakes and weirs where the relationship between storage level and surface area had been derived; where this relationship was not available the static AHGF surface area was used.

In the MDB region, precipitation on the surface water store included the precipitation falling on the water bodies mentioned in the supporting information.

Assumptions, limitations, caveats and approximations

The precipitation estimates were subject to approximations associated with interpolating observation point data to a national grid detailed in Jones et al. (2007).

The dynamic storage surface areas calculated from the levels and capacity tables represent a monthly average and therefore will not capture changes that occur on a shorter temporal scale.

The use of the static default AHGF surface area is an approximation only. It represents the lakes at capacity and therefore likely results in an overestimation of precipitation on the lake.

Uncertainty information

Derived from estimated data. The uncertainty estimate was not quantified.