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

for the year ended 30 June 2020

  • The volume of water in the region's storages increased during 2019–20 for the first time in three years.
  • This increase primarily represents the change in water volume in the region's surface water storages.

Schematic representation of the Murray–Darling Basin region. Total water inflows during 2019–20 was 17,679 GL. Total water outflows was 14,791 GL. Water storage at 30 June 2020 was 2,032 GL higher than the previous year.

The Statement of Changes in Water Assets and Water Liabilities is provided in the table below. The statement presents the actual water flows associated with the region's water stores, as well as the changes in water assets and water liabilities that occurred during the year.

 

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 2020 ML2019 ML2018 ML2017 ML2016 ML2015 ML
Water inflows
Surface water inflows 17,053,60311,762,67816,583,70243,664,03019,691,12014,936,597
Precipitation892,871875,987**1,152,919**1,993,563**1,122,660**1,072,839
Inter-region inflow1,554,000**1,477,000**2,204,818**2,681,102**2,392,309**1,253,588
Discharge: groundwater*116,621**46,24256,1301,352,38568,677311,800
Runoff12,807,9727,954,376**11,449,532**34,918,787**14,432,943**10,871,119
Point return: irrigation238,057281,947256,336277,177295,507297,113
Flood return718,395717,186**767,748**2,173,604**751,994**781,227
Discharge: urban supply system000000
Return flow: environmental purposes688,920373,378660,285229,298590,587314,010
Discharge: wastewater36,76736,56235,93438,11436,04334,901
  
Groundwater inflows 625,076538,027877,8042,293,665671,7092,721,986
Inter-region inflow2,6322,321**2,8042,4612,5532,657
Inter-region coastal inflow67369**2511017790
Recharge: landscape443,977**372,533494,812680,003407,340**2,194,814
Recharge: surface water*174,553**158,847234,2421,605,429260,586453,058
Leakage: urban system3,3022,9384,4764,07900
Managed aquifer recharge: individual user545(41)4691,5921,153267
Other increases01,060140,7500071,100
  
Total water inflows17,678,67912,300,70517,461,50645,957,69520,362,82917,658,583
Water outflows
Surface water outflows 12,861,57013,569,89117,441,68627,678,28014,521,90916,163,459
Evaporation2,296,7573,089,687**3,631,936**4,451,122**3,010,323**3,314,125
Outflow1,285,7961,321,435**1,596,040**4,217,894**1,385,331**1,564,378
Recharge: groundwater*174,553**158,847234,2421,605,429260,586453,058
Overbank flow1,424,6121,152,468**1,296,925**6,865,556**1,376,159**1,272,298
River and floodplain losses––––––
Diversions: basic rights59,84160,84150,86150,86159,24927,692
Floodplain harvesting436,02583,37448,505288,50800
Non-allocated diversion: individual users1,101,188392,936520,9741,675,241818,728**778,334
Non-allocated diversion: urban system9,7126,7617,00911,66112,25510,561
Allocated diversion: individual users3,122,5014,856,8696,868,9965,716,5234,734,9346,561,373
Allocated diversion: urban system443,764500,364385,181308,004481,808365,820
Allocated diversion: environmental purposes1,975,114**1,541,9692,411,3982,042,3911,912,8841,695,270
Non-allocated diversion: environmental purposes192,7198,74112,337154,21842,246120,550
Conveyance losses for allocated diversions338,988395,599377,282290,872427,4060
  
Groundwater outflows 1,929,1262,104,7481,870,2202,617,7531,685,0694,008,868
Inter-region outflow41198**112335724
Inter-region coastal outflow1,5661,308**1,5651,4931,7001,532
Discharge: landscape110,277**164,093158,11563,99985,6412,144,416
Discharge: surface water*116,621**46,24256,1301,352,38568,677311,800
Extraction: basic rights226,249**224,896237,229239,101237,670221,333
Non-allocated extraction000003,385
Allocated extraction: individual users1,427,9731,598,6981,358,218910,8501,270,1771,289,595
Allocated extraction: urban system32,35149,77545,59938,91421,14736,783
Allocated extraction: salinity and water table management14,04819,53810,15210,97800
Allocated extraction: environmental purposes000000
Other decreases003,100000
  
Total water outflows14,790,69615,674,63919,311,90630,296,03316,206,97820,172,327
Unaccounted-for difference(856,379)**(1,203,815)**(1,895,159)**(9,364,911)**(4,277,551)**(995,596)
 
 
Change in water storage      
Change in surface water storage2,031,604(4,578,809)(3,883,209)6,296,751(121,700)(3,580,440)
Change in groundwater storage01,060137,6500071,100
Total change in water storage2,031,604(4,577,749)(3,745,559)6,296,751(121,700)(3,509,340)
 
Closing water storage14,724,04012,692,43617,270,18521,015,74414,718,99314,840,693
 
 
Change in water liability
Surface water liability350,320(1,758,348)(1,294,865)2,419,843(75,496)(403,383)
Allocation remaining: individual users302,127(1,388,063)(1,318,772)2,179,961166,690(590,602)
Allocation remaining: urban system000000
Allocation remaining: environmental purposes48,193(370,285)23,907239,882(242,186)187,219
 
Groundwater liability(216,089)649,946(156,283)40,524(11,559)(80,244)
Allocation remaining: individual users(216,089)652,843(161,131)33,867(13,632)(82,401)
Allocation remaining: urban system000000
Allocation remaining: salinity and water table management000000
Allocation remaining: environmental purposes0(2,897)4,8486,6572,0732,157
Total change in water liability134,231(1,108,402)(1,451,148)2,460,367(87,055)(483,627)
       
Net change in water assets1,897,373(3,469,347)(2,294,411)3,836,384(34,645)(3,025,713)
 

 

* between-store flows

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

Note: quantification approaches used to derive each item volume are provided in the Methods