Bureau Home » Water Information » National Water Account » 2019 Account » Murray–Darling Basin » Water Accounting Statements » Water Assets and Water Liabilities

National Water Account 2019

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

as at 30 June 2019

  • Water availability in the Murray–Darling Basin region decreased during 2018–19.
  • Water availability is represented by the net water assets, which are the volume of water assets minus the water liabilities.

 

MDB_KeyMessage

 

The Statement of Water Assets and Water Liabilities is provided in the table below. The statement presents the volume of water assets, and water liabilities at the start and end of the reporting year.

 

 

Select comparative year

 2019 ML2018 ML2017 ML2016 ML2015 ML2014 ML
Water assets
Surface water 9,219,98613,798,79517,682,00411,385,25311,506,95315,087,393
Accessible storage6,782,030**11,313,316**14,990,243**8,220,734**8,933,464**12,270,355
Dead storage396,570461,044572,412396,556464,298568,668
Rivers227,114**230,346**271,717**930,726**284,615**391,396
Lakes and wetlands1,814,272**1,794,089**1,847,632**1,837,237**1,824,576**1,856,974
 
Groundwater 3,472,4503,471,3903,333,7403,333,7403,333,7403,262,640
Aquifers3,472,4503,471,3903,333,7403,333,7403,333,7403,262,640
  
Total water assets12,692,43617,270,18521,015,74414,718,99314,840,69318,350,033
Water liabilities
Surface water liability 2,145,4183,903,7665,198,6312,778,7882,854,2843,257,667
Allocation remaining: individual users1,616,8173,004,8804,323,6522,143,6911,977,0012,567,603
Allocation remaining: urban system000000
Allocation remaining: environmental purposes528,601898,886874,979635,097877,283690,064
 
Groundwater liability 1,251,310612,237768,520727,996739,555819,799
Allocation remaining: individual users1,238,373**596,403757,534723,667737,299819,700
Allocation remaining: urban system000000
Allocation remaining: salinity and water table management000000
Allocation remaining: environmental purposes12,93715,83410,9864,3292,25699
 
Total water liabilities3,396,7284,516,0035,967,1513,506,7843,593,8394,077,466
Net water assets
Net surface water assets7,074,5689,895,02912,483,3738,606,4658,652,66911,829,726
Opening net surface water assets9,895,02912,483,3738,606,4658,652,66911,829,72613,556,205
Change in net surface water assets(2,820,461)(2,588,344)3,876,908(46,204)(3,177,057)(1,726,479)
Closing net surface water assets7,074,5689,895,02912,483,3738,606,4658,652,66911,829,726
 
Net groundwater assets2,221,1402,859,1532,565,2202,605,7442,594,1852,442,841
Opening net groundwater assets2,859,1532,565,2202,605,7442,594,1852,442,8413,388,166
Change in net groundwater assets(638,013)293,933(40,524)11,559151,344(945,325)
Closing net groundwater assets2,221,1402,859,1532,565,2202,605,7442,594,1852,442,841
Total closing net water assets 9,295,70812,754,18215,048,59311,212,20911,246,85414,272,567
       
Total change in net water assets(3,458,474)(2,294,411)3,836,384(34,645)(3,025,713)(2,671,804)
 

 

** different to published volume in historical accounts (see Governance section for more information)