In the September 1 seasonal determinations update, northern Victoria resource manager Mark Bailey said high-reliability water shares in the Goulburn and Loddon systems increased from 66 per cent to 71 per cent; the Campaspe system moved from 87 per cent to 97 per cent; the Broken system increased from 68 per cent to 81 per cent; and the Bullarook system remained unchanged at 100 per cent.
Dr Bailey said streamflows across the catchments remained solid despite the lower rainfall during August.
“Tributary flows are supplying the demand that is emerging with the warmer and drier weather,” Dr Bailey said.
“Meeting demand without releasing water from storages allows for increased allocation to entitlements.”
Dr Bailey said the Murray system was repaying water borrowed from the Barmah-Millewa Forest Environmental Water Allocation at the start of 2021-22.
“The repayment started when the Murray seasonal determination reached 50 per cent HRWS and will continue until the system reaches 100 per cent HRWS.
“Around 58 Gl of the 350 Gl borrowed to underwrite Murray seasonal determinations has been repaid.
“Also in the Murray system, the Murray-Darling Basin Authority stopped pre-releases from Lake Hume in mid-August as flows receded.
“This action should not affect spillable water accounts at this point, but pre-releases may resume if wetter conditions return.
“About 150 Gl needs to be pre-released or physically spilled from Victoria’s share of Hume before spillable water accounts are affected.”
The NSW Government’s September 1 water allocation update for the NSW Murray system stated rainfall and inflows in August helped increase the NSW Murray resources by about 35,000 Ml since the previous assessment (August 2).
“The improvement has been used to continue the payback of the Barmah-Millewa Forest Environmental Water Allowance in accordance with the water sharing plan,” the update said.
The update said Lake Victoria was nearly full and high tributary inflows in recent weeks continued to create unregulated flows in the Murray, which meant supplementary access was available in some reaches for NSW Murray water users.
Details of when and where supplementary access applies can be found at: waterinsights.waternsw.com.au/
As at September 2, Hume Dam was at 94.6 per cent and Dartmouth was at 73.5 per cent.
NSW Murray system irrigators continue to question the general security allocation staying at 30 per cent in light of increasing storage levels and a forecast wet spring.
A NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment spokesperson told Country News last month that “while conditions have improved all over NSW, allocations continue to be made only where the department is confident water can be delivered”.
