Fitzroy: Water access and use
- 71% of the region's water allocations were for irrigation supply, mostly from the Nogoa Mackenzie Water Supply Scheme.
- Around 58% of the total water allocation was used in 2018–19 compared with 69% used last year.
For further information on water rights and water use within the region during the year scroll down this page or click on the links below:
Water rights and use
Surface water rights
Figure S6 Surface water allocation by water supply schemes in the region
- Most of the region's surface water allocations were associated with the Nogoa Mackenzie and Dawson Valley water supply schemes. More information is available on the Bureau's Water Markets Dashboard.
Figure S7 Surface water diversions for each licence purpose in the region
- 57% of the allocated surface water was used. Almost two thirds of the surface water diverted in the region was for irrigation scheme supply.
- About one quarter of the region's surface water diversion was to individual users, mainly for industrial purposes.
Figure S8 Surface water allocations and diversions in the Fitzroy region for the years ending 30 June, from 2017–2019
- Surface water allocations were approximately 5% less than last year.
- Surface water diversions for irrigation scheme supply decreased by 30% from last year and was less than expected given the very dry conditions across the region. Typically, dry conditions mean users have an increased reliance on water supplied from the storages.
- Surface water diversions for individual users and the urban system remained relatively unchanged. Town supply in particular generally changes little from year to year.
Groundwater rights
Figure S9 Groundwater extractions for each licence purpose in the region
- 84% of the allocated groundwater was used. Most of the groundwater extracted in the region was for irrigation supply from the Callide Valley Water Supply Scheme.
- The remaining extractions were for town supply and industrial purposes.
Figure S10 Groundwater allocations and extractions in the Fitzroy region for the years ending 30 June, from 2017–2019
- Groundwater extracted for irrigation scheme supply increased by more than 25% from last year. This increase was likely influenced by the dry conditions across the region.
- Groundwater allocations and extractions for individual users and the urban system remained relatively unchanged. Town supply in particular generally changes little from year to year.
- The large increase in non-allocated extractions to individual users in 2017–18 was due to a number of additional licences being issued during that year.
Water market activity
- In 2018–19, a total of 59,928 ML of surface water allocations and 41,173 ML of surface water entitlements were traded.
- A total of 881 ML of groundwater allocations and 9,068 ML of groundwater entitlements were traded during the year.
- For more information on water trade in the region, see the Bureau's Water Market Dashboard.
- For information on the allocation and trading rules, see the Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy website, or the websites of the resource operations licence holders (SunWater and Fitzroy Water).
Cultural and environmental water
Cultural benefit
- The water plans for the Fitzroy region support water-related cultural values, including the values of the traditional owners in the plan area, and provide mechanisms that support water being made available for Indigenous communities (see the Cultural water management section in the 'Region description').
- Cultural water provisions are generally linked to the environmental water requirements in the plans.
Environmental benefit
Environmental water provisions
- Environmental water provisions are defined at 17 river nodes and 4 groundwater nodes within the region.
- Environmental water requirements for one of these river nodes, on the Dawson River below Neville Hewitt Weir, are presented below.
Figure S11 Example environmental water provisions for the Dawson River
- A minimum baseflow must be passed through the storage when inflows exceed a set flow rate and storage levels are above a set level.
- A first post-winter flow management strategy allows for a higher pulse flow to be passed through the storages at the start of the wet season, up to the weir discharge capacity.
- A more detailed description of the environmental water provisions for the Dawson River, as well as for other locations within the region, is provided in the Water Plan (Fitzroy Basin) 2011.
Environmental water outcomes
Figure S12 Example of environmental outcomes for Dawson River in 2018–19
- In 2018–19, there were brief periods where the minimum baseflow flow requirements for the Dawson River below Neville Hewitt Weir were not met (e.g. December 2018, March 2019, and June 2019), which reflects the very dry conditions across the region during the year.
- A pulse event was passed through the weir in October 2018 as part of the first post-winter flow strategy, which generally met the environmental water requirements.