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

For the water account period 01 July 2023 – 30 June 2024

  • Surface water Inflows and outflows were close to average.
  • The volume of water in the region's combined storages (total inflows minus total outflows) decreased during 2023–2024.

Schematic representation of the Murray–Darling Basin region. Total water inflows during 2022–23 was 84,870 GL. Total water outflows was 72,452 GL. Water storage at 30 June 2023 was 28,480 GL similar to 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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 2024 ML2023 ML2022 ML2021 ML2020 ML2019 ML
Water inflows
Surface water inflows 21,973,55048,140,07841,615,24525,671,65616,868,776 10,795,457
Precipitation on storages 1,137,9711,815,4511,559,4231,051,047778,195 719,634
Precipitation on rivers 454,2851,102,727810,127441,040295,785 208,577
Runoff 18,520,68040,415,91036,332,26423,048,68714,619,900 8,712,006
Flood return 1,399,6394,432,7632,338,267840,876724,702 657,193
Return flows 460,975373,227575,164290,006450,194 498,047
 
Groundwater inflows14,749,33432,963,47024,991,3339,769,0888,029,778 7,639,088
Recharge from surface water*14,741,98732,955,20424,984,5699,762,8778,023,2327,632,441
Inter-region inflow 2,7643,0322,9142,5682,632 2,321
Inter-region coastal inflow 393896767 369
Return flows 34073,6512,8112,7553,302 2,938
Managed aquifer recharge: individual user 1,1371,5451,030821545 (41)
Other increases ----- 1,060
 
Total water inflows 36,722,88481,103,54866,606,57835,440,74424,898,554 18,434,545
Water outflows
Surface water outflows 37,063,87370,190,85554,992,10226,487,89820,519,33920,001,188
Evaporation from storages 3,308,4003,253,5093,226,6012,412,682 2,162,2942,534,590 
Evaporation from rivers1,138,644 2,189,0681,701,084832,344635,628698,332
Outflow to the sea3,037,2676,867,7814,225,432974,881678,205657,638
Recharge to groundwater14,741,98732,955,20424,984,5699,762,8778,023,2327,632,441
Overbank flow3,334,911 16,141,9979,032,5391,948,9251,536,8281,085,533 
Diversions: basic rights94,379 94,37993,39593,39593,36860,841 
Non-allocated diversion: individual users1,311,032 753,1441,986,1571,439,697 1,106,697392,936
Non-allocated diversion: urban system3,896 3,1813,0402,3925,0306,761 
Non-allocated diversion: environmental purposes188,967176,563772,983195,632197,3028,741 
Floodplain harvesting278,371520,414752,1001,205,796436,02583,374
Allocated diversion: individual users6,239,4654,620,8515,328,7004,951,9043,233,5474,810,129
Allocated diversion: urban system459,293358,274409,957455,370440,652487,903 
Allocated diversion: environmental purposes2,927,261 2,256,4902,475,5452,212,0031,970,5311,541,969 
 
Groundwater outflows 1,274,732887,532928,9881,264,1361,702,1781,917,545
Inter-region outflow 2852385741198 
Inter-region coastal outflow 2,7641,9901,9561,6511,5661,308
Extraction: basic rights 240,373240,399240,399240,409237,108245,146
Non-allocated extraction 1,8001,8001,8001,8001,8001,800
Allocated extraction: individual users940,812558,856595,180926,4431,401,2941,586,358 
Allocated extraction: urban system37,314 32,31232,04736,04446,32152,159
Allocated extraction: salinity and water table management11,417 11,89917,34417,50814,04819,538 
Allocated extraction: environmental purposes40,224 40,22440,22440,224--
Other groundwater decreases -----11,038
 
Total water outflows38,338,60571,078,38755,921,09027,752,03422,221,517 21,918,733
Unaccounted-for difference(2,793,401)(11,180,111)(2,236,044)(1,815,976)(523,465)(1,147,481)
 
 
Change in water storage      
Change in surface water storage (4,409,122)(1,154,950)8,449,4445,872,7342,153,572 (4,621,691)
Change in groundwater storage 00000 (9,978)
Total change in water storage (4,409,122)(1,154,950)8,449,4445,872,7342,153,572 (4,631,669)
 
Closing water storage 23,901,10528,310,22729,465,17721,015,73315,142,999 12,989,427
 
 
Change in water liability
Surface water liability (1,045,439)376,7551,712,5472,056,7861,095,056 (1,192,058)
Carryover for individual users (777,002)294,7501,240,5151,596,3041,314,153 (1,079,611)
Carryover for urban system 00000 0
Carryover for environmental purposes (268,437)82,005472,032460,482(219,097)(112,447)
 
Groundwater liability035,106141,388(29,904)89,989(84,648)
Carryover for individual users035,106141,388(29,904)89,989(84,648)
Carryover for urban system000000 
Carryover for salinity and water table management000000 
Carryover for environmental purposes000000 
Total change in water liability (1,045,439)411,8611,853,9352,026,8821,185,045(1,276,706) 
       
Net change in water assets (3,363,683)(1,566,811)6,595,5093,845,852968,527(3,354,963)

* between-store flows

Note: Historical inflow and outflow volumes have been impacted by the removal of some modelled groundwater recharge due to this dataset being incomplete. 

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