National Water Account 2020

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Key findings

Climate and water

Water Accounting Statements

Supporting information

Region description

Reference information

Fitzroy: Supporting information

Water assets

• Water asset volumes in the region at 30 June 2020 were 378 GL, around 96% of which is water held in storages. The remaining amount is water held in aquifers and rivers.

Figure S1 Total storage volume in the region at 30 June 2020 compared with the previous 10 years

• Storage volumes decreased from 29% full at 1 July 2019 to 22% full at 30 June 2020, the lowest end-of-year level on record (since 1973).
• This is the third consecutive year that storage volumes have decreased across the region.

Figure S2 Percentage-full volume on 30 June 2020 for each storage and total volumes for the 2013–20 year (inset)

• In January 2020, storage volumes had dropped to 16% full, the region's lowest level on record (since 1973). Storage volumes then peaked at 29% full in early March following wet season rainfall events.
• Fairbairn Reservoir, which is the largest storage in the region, was 12% full at the end of the year. Most of the smaller storages in the eastern part of the region closer to the coast were more than 50% full at 30 June 2020.
• More detailed information on the individual storages within the region is available on the Bureau of Meteorology's Water Storage website.

Water liabilities

• Water liabilities in the Fitzroy region refer to the volume of allocation remaining on licence entitlements at the end of the 2019–20 year. 

• Most of the licences have a water year from 1 July–30 June. The portion of water allocation that has not been abstracted at the end of a water year is forfeited and the allocation remaining at the end of the year was 0 ML.
• A more detailed description of water allocations in the Fitzroy region is given in the Water use section below.

Water flows

Figure S3 Water inflows and outflows for the surface water store during the 2019–20 year

Figure S4 Water inflows and outflows for the groundwater store during the 2019–20 year

• Total water flows into the region's storages was 2,936 GL. The key item contributing to water inflows was runoff, which made up 95% of total water inflows for the region.
• For the third consecutive year, runoff was much lower than average (based on modelled data from 1971–2020) due to relatively poor wet season rainfall across the region.
• The key item contributing to water outflows for the region was river outflow, which made up more than 70% of the total outflows. River outflow was well below average due to the dry conditions and low runoff across the region.
• Water taken for consumptive use was 646 GL, around 15% of the total outflow (see Water use section below).

Water use

Figure S5 Surface water taken during the 2019–20 year in the region's water supply schemes

Figure S6 Groundwater taken during the 2019–20 year in the region's water supply schemes

• Total surface water diverted in the region was 540 GL.
• Around 60% of the surface water taken was non-allocated diversion for individual users outside of the region's water supply schemes (323 GL).
• 28% of the surface water diversions were for irrigation scheme supply, mostly from the Nogoa Mackenzie Water Supply Scheme; 10% were for individual users within water supply schemes and 2% were for the urban system.
• Total groundwater extracted in the region was 106 GL.
• Around 90% of the groundwater extractions were for individual users, mostly non-allocated extraction outside the water supply scheme; 10% was for irrigation scheme supply and less than 1% was for the urban system.

Figure S7 Surface water allocations and diversions in the Fitzroy region for the years ending 30 June, from 2017–2020

• In 2019–20, total surface water allocation was 308 GL, mostly for irrigation scheme supply. 71% of the allocated surface water was taken.
• Surface water diversions for the irrigation scheme were similar to last year. The last two years of irrigation scheme supply 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.
• The large increase in non-allocated diversions to individual users was due to a number of additional licences being issued during the year.
• Allocated surface water diversions for individual users and the urban system remained relatively unchanged. Town supply in particular generally changes little from year to year.

Figure S8 Groundwater allocations and extractions in the Fitzroy region for the years ending 30 June, from 2017–2020

• In 2019–20, total groundwater allocation was 15 GL, mostly for irrigated agriculture from the Callide Valley Water Supply Scheme. 75% of the allocated groundwater was taken.
• Groundwater extracted for the irrigation scheme, the urban system, and individual users was similar to the previous 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 2019–20, a total of 49,755 ML of surface water allocations and 16,236 ML of surface water entitlements were traded.
• A total of 2,120 ML of groundwater allocations and 3,319 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 S9 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 S10 Example of environmental outcomes for Dawson River in 2019–20

• In 2019–20, the minimum baseflow flow requirements for the Dawson River below Neville Hewitt Weir were generally met.
• A pulse event was passed through the weir in late January 2020 as part of the first post-winter flow strategy, before a large flow event occurred during February–March 2020. No other pulse flows occurred throughout the year.