National Water Account 2022

Menu

Key findings

Climate and water

Water Accounting Statements

Supporting information

Region description

Fitzroy: Supporting information

Water assets

• Total water asset volume in the Fitzroy region at 30 June 2022 was 509 GL, around 97% of which was water held in surface water storages.
• Around 3% of the water assets are held in water table aquifers, while the remaining volume of water assets are held in rivers.

• Total storage volumes increased from 25% full at 30 June 2021 to 30% full at 30 June 2022.
• The end-of-year storage was the highest since 2017-18.

Figure S1 Percentage-full volume on 30 June 2022 for each storage and total storage volume from 2009 to 2022 (inset)

• Storage volume continued falling throughout winter and into spring, dropping to 18% by October 2021.
• Following the region's wettest November on record, storages peaked at 40% during December 2021, the highest since June 2018. 
• Lower than usual rainfall over the wet season resulted in storages falling to 25% by May 2022, but further heavy rainfall during that month returned storages to 30% full by 30 June 2022. 
• Fairbairn Reservoir, which is the largest storage in the region, was 21.5% full at the end of the year.
• 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 2021-22 year. 

• Most of the surface water and groundwater licences have a management year that ends on 30 June.
• The portion of water allocated that was not abstracted during the 2021-22 year was forfeited, with no allocation remaining (carryover) being carried over to the start of the 2022-23 year.
• A more detailed description of water allocations in the Fitzroy region is given in the Water use section below.

Water flows

• Total water inflows into the Fitzroy region was 3,407 GL, 193% more than last year.
• The total water inflows was entirely surface water inflows, with runoff contributing 92%.
• Despite being more than three times higher than the previous year, runoff remained below average (based on modelled data from 1971 to 2021) for the fifth consecutive year, reflecting the relatively poor wet season rainfall across the region.
• Total water outflows from the Fitzroy region was 4,926 GL, 218% more than last year.
• Surface water outflows contributed 98% (4,821 GL) of total water outflows, with river outflow making up 71% of the total.
• River outflows were over six times higher than last year, but remained below average due to low runoff during the relatively dry wet season. 
• Groundwater outflows was 2 % (105 GL) of total water outflows, with non-allocated extraction to irrigation users contributing to 45% of the total groundwater outflows.
• A more detailed breakdown of inflows and outflows is given in the Statement of Changes in Water Assets and Water Liabilities for the Fitzroy region.

Water availability

• Physical surface water availability is calculated as the sum of storage volumes at the start of the year (see Water assets) and estimated inflows into storages and rivers during the year.
• In 2021-22, surface water availability in the Fitzroy region was below average for the fifth consecutive year, reflecting the below average wet season rainfall.
• Surface water accessible is calculated as the sum of surface water allocations and other statutory rights, plus carryover at the start of the 2021-22 year.
• Despite physical surface water availability being at its highest since 2016-17, the percentage of water taken from surface water resources was close to average. This was due to physical surface water availability being higher than the region's water needs, resulting in little variation with water allocations and water taken from surface water resources between the years.

Water use

Consumptive use

• Water taken from surface water and groundwater resources for consumptive use was 713 GL, 26% more than last year.
• Total surface water diverted in the Fitzroy region was 608 GL, 20% more than last year.
• Around 36% of the surface water taken was for other users, 28% for agriculture users, 24% for irrigation users, and 8% for industrial users. The remaining 4% of surface water taken was split amongst the remaining categories (mining users (2%), urban users (2%), and stock and domestic (<1%)). 
• Non-allocated diversions accounted for 66% (403 GL) of the surface water taken for consumptive use, while the remaining 34% (205,073 ML) was for allocated diversions
• Total groundwater extracted in the Fitzroy region was 105 GL, 66% more than last year.
• Around 51% of the groundwater extractions were for irrigation users, while 25% of groundwater extractions were for industrial users. The remaining amount of groundwater extractions were split amongst the other categories (agriculture users (9%), mining users (7%), other users (5%), stock and domestic (1%), and urban users (1%)). 

Allocations and diversions

• In 2021-22, total surface water allocation was 358 GL, all for individual users. This was an increase of 18% from the previous year.
• While surface water allocations and diversions both increased from last year, the percentage of surface water allocation used remained similar (57% in 2021-22 compared to 55% in 2020-21).
• The portion of allocated surface water not abstrated by the end of the water year is forfeited, resulting in no carryover for the start of the next water year.

• In 2021-22, total groundwater allocation was 14,500 ML all for individual users, slightly less than the previous three years.
• Despite announced allocations remaining similar, the percentage of the groundwater allocation used was 21% less than last year and the lowest over the past six years.
• The portion of allocated groundwater not abstracted by the end of the water year is forfeited, resulting in no carryover for the start of the next water year.