National overview

  • Dry conditions were experienced across most of Australia for the second consecutive year.
  • Combined water storage across Australia on 30 June 2020 was 46% of capacity, similar to the previous year.
  • Total water taken in Australia for consumptive use was 14 270 GL, 6% less than the previous year.
  • Information on Australia's water use is available in the Bureau's Water in Australia 2019–20.

 

Climate and Water

Lake Eildon, Murray–Darling Basin region (Bureau of Meteorology © Paul Feikema)

 

Map of Australia showing the spatial distribution of relative rainfall in decile categories for 2019–20. Annual rainfall was below average to very much below average across most of Australia. Rainfall was very much below average over large parts of South Australia and southern parts of Western Australia. Annual rainfall was above average over a small area in southeastern Australia, including Melbourne, western parts of Tasmania, and small areas in central Western Australia. Key aspects of the rainfall map are described in the text below the figure.
Annual rainfall during 2019–20 compared with historical records (1900–2020)

 

  • Australia's total annual rainfall in 2019–20 was 347 mm, well below the mean value of 457 mm.
  • This was the second consecutive year of very low rainfall. Over the previous two years, Australia has experienced its driest 24-month period on record.
  • Rainfall was very low during the latter half of 2019 due to a positive phase of the Indian Ocean Dipole, one of the strongest on record, that influenced Australia's climate during this period (see the Bureau's 2019–20 Climate Report for more information).
  • There was some rainfall relief during the early part of 2020, including very heavy rainfall associated with a coastal trough that impacted the east coast in February 2020.

 

Map of Australia showing the spatial distribution of relative streamflow in decile categories for 2019–20. Annual streamflow was below average to very much below average across most of Australia, particularly throughout southeastern Australia and in Australia's southwest, with some stations recording their lowest annual flows on record. Key aspects of the streamflow map are described in the text below the figure.
Streamflow during 2019–20 compared with historical records (1975–2020)

 

  • Dry conditions over much of Australia during the latter half of 2019 contributed to generally below-average streamflow across the whole country in 2019–20.
  • Annual flow in some rivers across southern Australia were the lowest on record, particularly in parts of New South Wales.
  • In the Murray–Darling Basin, flow in most of the rivers had reached record low levels by December 2019. Above-average rainfall across large areas of New South Wales and Victoria in the early part of 2020, particularly during February to April, resulted in some recovery, with flows occurring in all the major rivers within the Murray–Darling Basin.
  • Flow in the lower Darling River reconnected with the River Murray in mid-April 2020 for the first time since January 2018. In February 2020, the first major flows in eight years occurred from the Lower Balonne River into the Ramsar-listed Narran Lakes wetland system.
  • The streamflows in southwest Western Australia were predominantly below average in 2019–20 due to very much below-average winter rainfall.

 

Map of Australia showing the distribution and status of rural storage systems on 30 June 2020, which are colour coded into ten categories of volume as a proportion of capacity. Most of the rural storage systems are located throughout southeastern Australia and many of these were less than 30% full at 30 June 2020. Rural storage systems in northern and western Australia were less than 40% full. Rural storage systems in north Queensland were all greater than 60% full. Key aspects of the storage map are described in the text below the figure.
Status of rural storage systems on 30 June 2020

Map of Australia showing the distribution and status of urban storage systems on 30 June 2020, which are colour coded into ten categories of volume as a proportion of capacity. The largest urban storage systems are located in Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane and these were greater than 60% full. Storage systems in Perth and Adelaide were less than 50% full. Key aspects of the storage map are described in the text below the figure.
Status of urban storage systems on 30 June 2020

 

  • Total accessible surface water storage for Australia on 30 June 2020 was 23 140 GL or 46 per cent full, similar to the previous year.
  • Most of the storages across southeastern Australia remained low, particularly in the northern part of the Murray–Darling Basin where storages were less than 20 per cent of capacity on 30 June 2020.
  • In the Murray–Darling Basin, storage volumes increased after February 2020 for the remainder of the 2019–20 year following higher rainfall across the region during February–April 2020; however, many areas have experienced prolonged dry conditions and by the end of 2019–20, significant follow-up rainfall was needed to replenish these storages.
  • Storage volumes in northwestern Australia declined for the third consecutive year. On 30 June 2020, Lake Argyle was at its lowest end-of-year level in almost 30 years.
  • Storage volumes in Sydney increased markedly following heavy rainfall associated with a coastal trough that crossed the region in early-February 2020. Total storage almost doubled in 10 days between 8–18 February 2020, the first significant rise in storage since June 2016.

 

Water sources and supply

Vineyard near Canberra, Murray–Darling Basin region (Bureau of Meteorology © Malcolm Watson)

 

Doughnut graphs showing total water sourced and total water taken for different users in 2019–20 for Australia. Total water taken was 14 270 GL. Surface water made up 75% of water sourced, groundwater 20%, desalinated water 4%, and inter-region water 1%. 67% of the water taken was for agricultural purposes, 22% was for the urban system, and 11% was for industrial purposes.
Water taken by use category and source in 2019–20

 

  • Total water taken for consumptive water use in 2019–20 was 14 270 GL, six per cent lower than the previous year.
  • Surface water was the primary water source, particularly for agriculture, due to ease of access and low abstraction cost.
  • Total water taken for agricultural use decreased by 11 per cent from 2018–19, largely due to the continued dry conditions and low water availability across the Murray–Darling Basin.
  • In 2019–20, desalinated water made up four per cent of total water supply compared to one per cent in the previous year. The very dry conditions during the year, particularly in the latter half of 2019, meant urban utilities opted to reduce pressure on their surface water resources and increase their reliance on desalinated water supply to meet urban demand.
  • About 22 per cent of total water taken was for urban water supply. More information on Australia's urban systems is available from the Bureau's National Performance Report 2019–20.
  • In 2019–20, water market turnover in Australia was $7 billion, a 39 per cent increase from the previous year. This increase was driven by record entitlement and allocation prices due to low water availability and high demand during the latter half of 2019. More information on water trade across Australia is available from the Bureau's Australian Water Markets Report 2019–20.