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Sydney: 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 four years.
  • This increase represents the change in water volume in the region's surface water storages.

Schematic representation of the Sydney region. Total water inflows during 2019–20 was 7,325 GL. Total water outflows was 8,619 GL. Water storage at 30 June 2020 was 746 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 4,865,4381,549,8911,426,9504,654,9035,125,0535,481,488
Precipitation86,45034,53980,591173,155139,962155,848
Runoff4,685,6721,430,8581,280,6124,357,3644,909,5295,239,511
Flood return16,6137,5461,23441,920
Discharge: user008182808
Delivery: inter-region2,9976,6759,2153,7124,4483,068
Discharge: wastewater*73,70670,27355,21777,92471,11483,053
 
Groundwater inflows 1,384,903751,985710,66041,67037,66537,210
Inter-region inflow
Recharge: landscape
Recharge: surface water*1,340,916704,153**663,398
Leakage: urban*43,98747,832**47,262**41,670**37,665**37,210
 
Urban water system inflows1,074,8921,089,4601,068,7161,125,7861,102,8921,089,904
Wastewater collected536,140518,384461,542562,042547,783547,009
Allocated diversion: surface water*467,605563,283607,174563,744555,109542,895
Allocated extraction: groundwater*00
Delivery: desalinated water71,1477,7930000
 
Total water inflows7,325,2333,391,336**3,206,326**5,822,359**6,265,610**6,608,602
Water outflows
Surface water outflows 7,514,1742,483,4292,060,0364,957,9774,794,6305,171,009
Evaporation57,31348,946179,549189,060150,271166,963
Outflow5,206,950968,890551,7663,888,6754,036,2194,403,694
Recharge: groundwater*1,340,916704,153663,398
Overbank flow400,873152,53011,241265,696
Diversion: statutory rights32,25732,25732,25732,25732,53032,530
Allocated diversion: individual users8,26013,37014,65118,54520,50124,927
Allocated diversion: urban system*467,605563,283607,174563,744555,109542,895
 
Groundwater outflows 19,9143,409
Inter-region outflow
Discharge: landscape
Allocated extraction: individual users19,9143,409
Allocated extraction: urban system*00
 
Urban water system outflows1,085,1801,087,6001,051,6531,117,8021,087,6761,077,439
Leakage: groundwater*43,98747,83247,26241,67037,66537,210
Supply system delivery: urban users495,577511,123532,632502,178491,281478,372
Recycled water delivery: urban users17,77516,61814,39413,59617,50220,515
Wastewater discharge: surface water*73,70670,27355,21777,92471,11483,053
Discharge: sea411,235416,052384,874456,190432,491443,546
Other supply system decreases10,80311,21912,03611,07610,11314,743
Discharge: landscape00094
Other wastewater and recycled water system decreases32,09714,4835,23815,07427,5100
 
Total water outflows8,619,2683,574,4383,111,6896,075,7795,882,306**6,248,448
 
Unaccounted-for difference2,039,857(412,103)**(740,798)**122,894**(226,715)**(83,258)
 
 
Change in water storage      
Change in surface water storage745,822(595,205)(646,161)(130,526)156,589276,896
Change in groundwater storage000000
Change in urban water storage000000
Total change in water storage745,822(595,205)(646,161)(130,526)156,589276,896
 
Closing water storage2,195,4851,449,6632,044,8682,691,0292,821,5552,664,966
 
 
Change in water liability
Surface water liability000000
Allocation remaining: individual users000000
Allocation remaining: urban system*000000
 
Groundwater liability000000
Allocation remaining: individual users000000
Allocation remaining: urban system*000000
Total change in water liability000000
       
Net change in water assets745,822(595,205)(646,161)(130,526)156,589276,896
 

 

* 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