Perth: Statement of Water Assets and Water Liabilities
For the water account period 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024
- In the Perth region, water availability decreased by 30% during 2023–24 in resposne to the decrease in surface water assets.
- Water availability is represented by the net water assets, which are the volume of water assets minus the water liabilities.
The Statement of Water Assets and Water Liabilities is provided in the table below.
The statement presents the volume of water assets, and water liabilities at the start and end of the reporting year.
Select comparative year
| 2024 (ML) | 2023 (ML) | 2022 (ML) | 2021 (ML) | 2020 (ML) | 2019 (ML) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water assets | |||||||
| Surface water | 334,109 | 439,852 | 471,626 | 365,461 | 360,126 | 416,977 | |
| Accessible storage | 310,234 | 414,904 | 446,663 | 339,106 | 332,479 | 388,080 | |
| Dead storage | 23,098 | 23,098 | 23,098 | 23,098 | 23,098 | 23,098 | |
| Rivers | 777 | 1,850 | 1,865 | 3,257 | 4,549 | 5,799 | |
| Groundwater | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Aquifers | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Irrigation scheme | 25,007 | 28,373 | 29,864 | 31,798 | 31,831 | 40,634 | |
| Claims: surface water* | 25,007 | 26,373 | 29,864 | 31,798 | 31,831 | 40,634 | |
| Total water assets | 359,116 | 468,225 | 501,490 | 397,259 | 391,957 | 457,611 | |
| Water liabilities | |||||||
| Surface water liability | 35,016 | 38,382 | 39,873 | 40,320 | 40,353 | 49,156 | |
| Surface water allocation remaining: individual users | 10,009 | 10,009 | 10,009 | 8,522 | 8,522 | 8,522 | |
| Surface water allocation remaining: irrigation scheme* | 25,007 | 28,373 | 29,864 | 31,798 | 31,831 | 40,634 | |
| Groundwater liability | 97,313 | 104,182 | 102,352 | 102,376 | 102,377 | 102,377 | |
| Groundwater allocation remaining: individual users | 97,313 | 104,182 | 102,352 | 102,376 | 102,377 | 102,377 | |
| Total water liabilities | 132,329 | 142,564 | 142,225 | 142,696 | 142,730 | 151,533 | |
| Net water assets | |||||||
| Net surface water assets | 299,093 | 401,470 | 431,753 | 325,141 | 319,773 | 367,821 | |
| Opening net surface water assets | 401,470 | 431,753 | 325,141 | 319,773 | 367,821 | 344,643 | |
| Net change surface water assets | (102,377) | (30,283) | 106,612 | 5,368 | (48,048) | 23,178 | |
| Closing net surface water assets | 299,093 | 401,470 | 431,753 | 325,141 | 319,773 | 367,821 | |
| Net groundwater assets | (97,313) | (104,182) | (102,352) | (102,376) | (102,377) | (102,377) | |
| Opening net groundwater assets | (104,182) | (102,352) | (102,376) | (102,377) | (102,377) | (102,377) | |
| Change in net groundwater assets | 6,869 | (1,830) | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Closing net groundwater assets | (97,313) | (104,182) | (102,352) | (102,376) | (102,377) | (102,377) | |
| Net irrigation water assets | 25,007 | 28,373 | 29,864 | 31,798 | 31,831 | 40,634 | |
| Opening net irrigation water assets | 28,373 | 29,864 | 31,798 | 31,831 | 40,634 | 38,141 | |
| Change in net irrigation water assets | (3,366) | (1,491) | (1,934) | (33) | (8,803) | 2,493 | |
| Closing net irrigation water assets | 25,007 | 28,373 | 29,864 | 31,798 | 31,831 | 40,634 | |
| Total closing net water assets | 226,787 | 325,661 | 359,265 | 254,563 | 249,227 | 306,078 | |
| Total change in net water assets | (98,874) | (33,604) | 104,702 | 5,336 | (56,851) | 25,671 | |
*between-store claims / liabilities
Note: quantification approaches used to derive each item volume are provided in the Methods.