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Murray–Darling Basin: Supporting information

  • Wetter conditions in 2021–22 contributed to above average runoff across the region.
  • End-of-year storage was 91% full compared to 64% full the previous year.
  • 51% of the total water accessible for use was taken for consumptive use, predominantly for irrigation and agricultural purposes.

Schematic representation of the Murray–Darling Basin region. In 2021–22, runoff was 60% more than average. Storage volumes at 30 June 2022 were 91% full, higher than the previous year. 54% of the total surface water taken for consumptive use (16,281 GL) was taken. 34% of the total groundwater taken for consumptive use (2,940 GL) was taken.

For further information on the region's water accounting statements scroll down this page or click on the links below:

 

Water assets

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

 

  • Water asset volumes in the region at 30 June 2022 totalled 29,081 GL. Surface water assets accounted for 88% of this volume.

 

Storages

 

Table S1 Accessible storage volume in the region at 30 June 2022 compared with the previous five years
  2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
Northern Basin 4,458,996 2,532,584 821,148 405,581 1,494,725 3,011,172
Southern Basin 15,637,058 11,397,367 7,753,753 6,369,829 9,811,907 12,080,001
Accessible total 20,096,054 13,929,951 8,574,901 6,775,410 11,306,632 15,091,173
Dead storage 578,704 578,704 578,704 578,704 578,704 578,704
Total storage 20,674,758 14,508,655 9,153,605 7,354,114 11,885,336 15,669,877
Total capacity 22,685,480 22,685,480 22,685,480 22,685,480 22,685,480 22,685,480
% full 91.1% 64.0% 40.4% 32.4% 52.4% 69.1%

 

  • Storage volumes increased from 64% full at 30 June 2021 to 91% full at 30 June 2022.
  • This was the third consecutive annual increase in storage and the highest volume since 2011–12.
  • Most of the storage infrastructure is located in the southern basin with a total capacity of 17,977 GL compared with 4,708 GL in the northern basin.

  Map of Murray–Darling Basin region showing the status of each storage at 30 June 2022. The storages are colour coded into nine categories of volume as a proportion of capacity. Most of the storages in the region's northeast are more than 25% full. Most of the storages in the southeast are over 50% full, including the major storages of Hume, Eildon, and Dartmouth (which were over 55% full). An inset line graph shows the time series of percentage-full storage volume between 1 July 2013–30 June 2021. Murray–Darling Basin storages at 30 June 2021 were 64% full, more than last year.
Figure S1 Percentage-full volume on 30 June 2022 for each storage and total storage volume from 2009–2022 (inset) 

 

  • Rainfall over winter and spring 2021 continued to fill storages so that many were reasonably full by the start of November, with some actively releasing to make airspace for high inflows.
  • Record rainfall over November and subsequent high inflows, particularly in the north and east of the basin, resulted in many storages in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory reaching 100% and spilling.
  • Total storages volumes increased by close to 25% over the July to December 2021 period.
  • Continued rainfall maintained high storage volumes through to the end of the period, with the total storage volume at 30 June 2022 nearly 60% higher than at 30 June 2019.
  • See the Bureau's 2021–22 Climate Report for more information.
  • More detailed information on the individual storages within the region is available on the Bureau of Meteorology's Water Storage website.

 Groundwater assets

Map of groundwater sustainable diversion limits in the Murray–Darling Basin region. The Goulburn–Murray sustainable diversion limit area has a groundwater asset volume of more than 400,000 ML. South Australian Murray Region, Wimmera–Mallee, Murrumbidgee Alluvium, Lachlan Alluvium, Western Porous Rock, Namoi Alluvium, and Condamine–Balonne areas have groundwater asset volumes of more than 200,000 ML. Murray Alluvium, Eastern Porous Rock, and Warrego–Paroo–Nebine areas have groundwater asset volumes of more than 100,000 ML. Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges, New South Wales Great Artesian Basin Shallow, Macquarie–Castlereagh Alluvium, New England Fractured Rock and Northern Basalts, Queensland Border Rivers–Moonie, and New South Wales Border Rivers Alluvium have groundwater asset volumes of more than 50,000 ML. Darling Alluvium, Lachlan and South Western Fractured Rock, Australian Capital Territory, and Gwydir Alluvium areas have groundwater asset volumes less than 50,000 ML.
Figure S2 Groundwater sustainable diversion limits in the Murray–Darling Basin region 

  • The groundwater asset volume for the region represents sustainable diversion limit volumes as provided by the Murray–Darling Basin Authority.
  • The groundwater asset volume at the end of the year was the same as the previous year, reflecting no change to the region's sustainable diversion limits.

 

Water liabilities

Agricultural land use, Murray–Darling Basin region (Alison Pouliot © 2010)

 

  • Water liabilities in the Murray–Darling Basin region refer to the volume of allocation remaining on licence entitlements at the end of the 2021–22 year.

 

Table S2 Volume of surface water allocation remaining at 30 June 2022
Description Individual users (ML) Urban system (ML) Environmental purposes (ML)
  Opening balance at 1 July 2021 4,056,724 0 1,038,590
add Allocation 8,376,200 594,016 3,231,150
add Trade 53,119 (222) 562,598
less Allocated diversion 5,193,390 410,219 2,882,163
less Adjustment and forfeiture 1,994,255 183,575 439,553
  Closing balance at 30 June 2022 5,298,398 0 1,510,622

 

Table S3 Volume of groundwater allocation remaining at 30 June 2022
Description Individual users (ML) Urban system (ML) Salinity and water table management (ML) Environmental purposes (ML)
  Opening balance at 1 July 2021 594,137 0 0 0
add Allocation 2,046,498 79,659 39,031 48,680
add Trade 30 0 0 0
less Allocated Extraction 763,587 29,890 17,344 40,224
less Adjustment and forfeiture 1,270,561 49,769 21,687 8,456
  Closing balance at 30 June 2022 606,517 0 0 0

 

  • Water supply licences for individual users and environmental purposes have carryover provisions, which means a portion of water allocation that has not been abstracted at the end of the water year can be carried over into the next water year.
  • There are no carryover provisions for urban system supply, and salinity and water table management licences. The portion of water allocation that has not been abstracted at the end of a water year is forfeited and the allocation remaining at the end of the year is 0 ML.
  • Following two years of above average rainfall contributing to high water availablity, announced allocations were high in 2021–22 (see The Australian Water Markets Report 2021–22 for more information).
  • Total surface water allocation for individual, urban and environmental purposes in 2021–22 was 12,201 GL, with individual users, mostly irrigated agriculture, making up 69% of this volume.
  • Both surface water and groundwater liabilities closed higher in 2021–22 than in 2020–21.   

 

Water flows

McIntyre River near Goondiwindi, Murray–Darling Basin region (MDBA © Arthur Mostead)
  • Water inflows to the region were predominantly surface water flows, with groundwater flows contributing 2% of the total.
  • Surface water flows into the region's storages totalled 42,103 GL, runoff making up 87% of this volume.
  • With runoff close to 60% more than the 1971-2021 average, total water inflows were the highest since 2011-12.
  • 98% of the total water outflows (56,806 GL) from the region were surface water outflows, of which 15% was consumptive use.
  • Groundwater outflows were lower than in previous years due to reduced consumptive use which makes up about 85% of this volume.

 

Water availability

 

Table S4 Annual surface water available in the Murray–Darling Basin region during 2022 compared to the previous five years
  2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
Water availability 52,699,605 33,111,249 22,471,866 20,953,486 29,323,996 42,705,559
Water accessible 16,280,632 11,505,219 6,804,014 7,040,089 9,987,784 11,849,466
Water taken 8,804,404 8,147,700 5,283,333 5,850,685 7,903,574 8,212,611

 

  • Physical surface water availability is calculated as the sum of accessible storage at the start of the year (see Water assets) and estimated inflows into storages and rivers during the year.
  • Accessible water is the volume of water that is lawfully accessible for consumptive use. It is based on the volume of carryover of water entitlements from the previous year in addition to other statutory rights to take water.
  • Water taken in this table is for consumptive use and includes floodplain harvesting.
  • Water accessible for use and actual water taken are both influenced by the physical water availability.
  • On average, runoff contributes almost 90% of the total inflows into the region during the year.
  • Higher storage volumes at the beginning of the year and above average runoff contributed to very high total water availability for 2021-22 compared with previous years.
  • Accessible water was high, particularly compared to 2019–20, due to higher announced allocations and higher carryover as a result of improved water availability in 2020–21.
  • Although the 8,804 GL taken for consumptive use was slightly higher than in 2020–21, the proportion of the accessible water taken (54%) was significantly lower than in previous years reflecting high water availability.

 

Water use

Wheat harvesting, Murray–Darling Basin region (MDBA © Arthur Mostead)
  • Total consumptive use for individual users, urban systems and basic rights was 8,696 GL in 2021–22 which was 88% surface water and 12% groundwater use.
Table S5 Surface water taken for consumptive use in the Murray–Darling Basin region compared with the previous four years
Surface water 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018
Queensland        
Individual users 1,000,612 528,620 588,255 217,497 268,408
Urban system 4863 5451 0 0 0
Environmental purposes 366,365 73,911 192,719 16,141 18,137
Basic rights 10,589 10,589 10,589 10,589 609
Total 1,382,429 618,571 791,563 244,227 287,154
New South Wales        
Individual users 3,921,287 3,592,604 1,634,963 2,502,368 4,418,669
Urban system 76,826 78,737 87,581 101,158 98,555
Environmental purposes 1,124,134 917,344 158,554 304,777 648,451
Basic rights 49,279 49,279 49,252 50,252 50,252
Total 5,171,526 4,637,964 1,930,350 2,958,555 5,215,927
Victoria        
Individual users 1,798,154 1,644,843 1,492,761 2,021,886 2,266,602
Urban system 134,259 149,429 136,982 134,005 124,983
Environmental purposes 884,678 608,528 818,054 457,022 795,461
Basic rights 27465 0 0 0 0
Total 2,844,556 2,402,800 2,447,798 2,612,913 3,187,046
South Australia        
Individual users 458,754 461,274 432,142 458,688 443,197
Urban system 148,935 172,485 156,076 199,318 109,481
Environmental purposes 873,351 809,102 998,506 772,770 961,686
Basic rights 6062 0 0 0 0
Total 1,487,102 1,442,861 1,586,724 1,430,776 1,514,364
Australian Capital Territory        
Individual users 740 1,301 945 2,626 2,805
Urban system 45,336 49,268 55,330 53,422 52,162
Environmental purposes 0 0 0 0 0
Basic rights 0 0 0 0 0
Total 46,076 50,569 56,275 56,048 54,967
Basin Total        
Individual users 7,179,547 6,228,642 4,149,066 5,203,065 7,399,681
Urban system 410,219 455,370 435,969 487,903 385,181
Environmental purposes 3,248,528 2,408,885 2,167,833 1,550,710 2,423,735
Basic rights 93,395 59,868 59,841 60,841 50,861
Total 10,931,689 9,152,765 6,812,710 7,302,519 10,259,458

 

  • Total net surface water taken in the region was 10,932 GL. This is the volume of surface water diverted after return flows to rivers and storages are deducted.
  • 66% of the diversions were for individual users, 4% were supplied to the urban system, and 1% was for individual users under a basic right.
  • 30% of the diversions were for environmental purposes, mainly from the SA River Murray Water Resource Plan Area.
  • In the Queensland basin catchments, water use is less regulated and therefore dependent on instream water availability. The increase in surface water take by individual users reflects high flows in the region in 2021–22.
  • With higher water availability and consequently lower water prices facilitating trading, environmental water use was high in 2021–22.

 
Table S6 Groundwater taken for consumptive use in the Murray–Darling Basin region compared with the previous four years
Groundwater 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018
Queensland        
Individual users 70,297 85,227 125,357 152,286 161,653
Urban system 1,960 9,476 12,192 13,256 5,570
Salinity and water table management 0 0 0 0 0
Basic rights 3,580 3,580 24,446 24,446 33,642
Total 75,837 98,283 161,995 189,988 200,865
New South Wales        
Individual users 526,231 776,581 1,000,459 1,129,562 966,412
Urban system 27,930 10,346 20,159 36,519 40,029
Salinity and water table management 4,121 1,128 1,339 7,198 0
Basic rights 191,745 191,755 177,590 176,291 187,412
Total 750,027 979,810 1,199,547 1,349,570 1,193,853
Victoria        
Individual users 121,100 196,346 242,370 252,098 174,248
Urban system 0 0 0 0 0
Salinity and water table management 0 0 0 0 0
Basic rights 20,280 20,280 20,289 20,235 20,235
Total 141,380 216,626 262,659 272,333 194,483
South Australia        
Individual users 45,643 46,579 46,739 51,331 44,805
Urban system 0 0 0 0 0
Salinity and water table management 13,223 12,375 12,709 12,340 10,152
Basic rights 3,924 3,924 3,924 3,924 7,152
Total 62,790 62,878 63,372 67,595 62,109
Australian Capital Territory        
Individual users 316 0 339 1,081 948
Urban system 0 0 0 0 0
Salinity and water table management 0 0 0 0 0
Basic rights 0 0 0 0 0
Total 316 0 339 1,081 948
Basin Total        
Individual users 763,587 1,104,734 1,415,264 1,586,358 1,348,066
Urban system 29,890 19,822 32,351 49,775 45,599
Salinity and water table management 17,344 13,503 14,048 19,538 10,152
Basic rights 219,529 219,539 226,249 224,896 248,441
Total 1,030,350 1,357,597 1,687,912 1,880,567 1,652,258

 

  • Total groundwater taken in the region was 1,030 GL.
  • 74% of the extraction was for individual users and 21% was for individual users under a basic right.
  • Around 3% of the extraction was for the urban system while 2% was extracted for salinity and water table management.
  • With higher surface water availability, there was a reduced dependency on groundwater during 2021–22.
  • No groundwater extractions were made for environmental purposes during the year.