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National Water Account 2018

Murray–Darling Basin: Statement of Changes in Water Assets and Water Liabilities

for the year ended 30 June 2018

  • Water availability decreased by about 10% during 2017–18. This follows consecutive increases in water availability over the previous two years.
  • The change in water available is represented by the change in net water assets.

 

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The Statement of Changes in Water Assets and Water Liabilities is provided in the table below. The statement presents the changes in water assets and water liabilities that occurred during the year, including accrual transactions (e.g. allocations and forfeitures) and actual water flows, both natural and engineered.

 

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 2018 ML2017 ML2016 ML2015 ML2014 ML2013 ML
Water asset increases
Surface water increases18,223,56343,219,09623,093,54418,482,50720,233,20529,302,370
Precipitation1,293,7252,048,689 1,248,850 1,199,912 1,172,623 1,155,617
Inter-region inflow627,00022,000 0 0 151,000 451,000
Discharge: groundwater*56,1301,352,385 68,677 311,800 117,572 558,770
Runoff13,047,26134,932,922 19,091,888 14,403,148 16,374,418 25,143,874
Point return: irrigation256,336277,177 295,507 297,113 259,779 212,773
Flood return536,9431,670,952 0 0 0 0
Discharge: urban supply system00 0 0 0 31,636
Claims: inter-region1,709,9502,647,559 1,761,592 1,921,622 2,059,594 1,748,700
Return flow: environmental purposes660,284229,298 590,987 314,011 64,200 0
Discharge: wastewater35,93438,114 36,043 34,901 34,019 0
 
Groundwater increases877,2552,293,665 671,1092,716,986 5,016,5392,493,412
Inter-region inflow2,4342,461 2,553 2,657 2,733 2,646
Inter-region coastal inflow72101 77 90 82 50
Recharge: landscape494,812680,003 407,340 2,189,814 3,552,532 1,539,098
Recharge: surface water*234,2421,605,429 260,586 453,058 273,293 680,878
Leakage: urban system4,4764,079 0 0 0 0
Managed aquifer recharge: individual user4691,592 1,153 267 1,211 631
Other increases140,7500 0 71,100 1,186,688 270,109
 
Total water asset increases19,100,81845,512,761 23,765,253 21,199,49325,249,744 31,795,782
Water liability decreases
Surface water liability decreases(18,057)1,205,965 (644,256) (555,941) 153,619 1,335,153
Adjustment and forfeiture: individual users(292,485)425,244 (427,809) (763,930) 403,191 1,165,564
Adjustment and forfeiture: urban system253,141331,518 75,872 139,032 195,704 169,589
Adjustment and forfeiture: environmental purposes21,287449,203 (292,319) 68,956 (445,276) 0
 
Groundwater liability decreases932,3721,248,017 938,522 993,2551,098,526 1,184,584
Adjustment and forfeiture: individual users862,4631,176,701 909,788 959,271 1,032,828 1,152,951
Adjustment and forfeiture: urban system34,23838,410 29,534 34,302 35,725 31,633
Adjustment and forfeiture: salinity and water table management31,02330,197 0 0 0 0
Adjustment and forfeiture: environmental purposes4,8482,709 (800) (318) 29,973 0
 
Total water liability decreases914,3152,453,982 294,266 437,314 1,252,145 2,519,737
Water asset decreases
Surface water decreases12,610,13029,607,343 16,140,235 13,020,686 13,470,053 24,466,204
Evaporation4,115,4864,518,203 3,376,265 4,871,102 2,701,7473,021,950
Outflow885,8287,401,000 663,000 1,196,000 1,784,000 5,267,000
Recharge: groundwater*234,2421,605,429 260,586453,058 273,293 680,878
Overbank flow1,062,6426,273,872 59,546 21,490 207,528 437,901
River and floodplain losses5,298,0357,008,478 10,420,954 5,285,926 7,088,015 12,618,360
Diversion: statutory rights50,86150,861 59,249 27,69268,210 68,210
Overland flow take48,505288,508 0 0 00
Non-allocated diversions: individual users520,9741,675,241 818,728 773,927 1,283,873 2,137,025
Non-allocated diversions: urban system7,00911,661 12,255 10,561 7,168 19,880
Claims: inter-region0329,000 0 100,000 3,000215,000
Non-allocated diversions: environmental purposes12,337154,218 42,246 120,550 53,219 0
Conveyance losses for allocated diversions374,211290,872 427,406 0 0 0
 
Groundwater decreases456,0501,657,010 393,744 2,682,489 4,041,609 3,614,808
Inter-region outflow6033 57 24 31 21
Inter-region coastal outflow1,3241,493 1,700 1,532 1,516 1,446
Discharge: landscape158,11563,999 85,641 2,144,416 1,583,868 2,733,597
Discharge: surface water*56,1301,352,385 68,677 311,800 117,572558,770
Extraction: statutory rights237,321239,100 237,669 221,332 221,408 230,416
Non-allocated extraction: individual users00 0 3,385 0 0
Allocated extraction: environmental purposes00 0 0 0 0
Other decreases3,1000 0 0 2,117,214 90,558
 
Total water asset decreases13,066,18031,264,353 16,533,979 15,703,175 17,511,662 28,081,012
Water liability increases
Surface water liability increases8,352,65311,692,725 6,409,874 7,663,138 8,127,384 9,320,999
Allocation: individual users5,257,7398,321,727 4,473,815 5,206,841 5,810,236 8,785,815
Allocation: urban system638,322639,522 557,680 504,852 523,094 535,184
Allocation: environmental purposes2,456,5922,731,476 1,378,379 1,951,445 1,794,054 0
 
Groundwater liability increases2,188,1152,249,283 2,218,287 2,239,389 2,267,954 2,215,723
Allocation: individual users2,057,4072,121,418 2,166,333 2,166,465 2,161,9862,146,994
Allocation: urban system79,83777,324 50,681 71,085 70,222 68,729
Allocation: salinity and water table management41,17541,175 0 0 00
Allocation: environmental purposes9,6969,366 1,273 1,839 35,746 0
 
Total water liability increases10,540,76813,942,0088,628,161 9,902,527 10,395,338 11,536,722
 
Unaccounted-for difference1,120,261324,087 1,013,359 1,362,980 (750,827) 2,280,386
 
 
Change in net water assets      
Change in net surface water assets(2,757,277)3,124,993 (100,821) (2,757,259) (1,210,613) (-3,149,680)
Change in net groundwater assets285,723(40,524) 11,559 151,343 (945,325) 127,851
Total change in net water assets(2,471,554)3,084,469(89,262) (2,605,915) (2,155,938) (3,021,829)
 

* between-store flows