Northern Victoria resource manager Mark Bailey in his October 1 update said recent rainfall drove the increased water availability.
“The rain on wet catchments added significant volumes to the storages,” Dr Bailey said.
“With tributaries downstream of the storages meeting demand, more water was available for the seasonal determinations.”
Dr Bailey said the first deductions from Murray spillable water accounts would be made this season.
“A deduction of 89 gigalitres will be made with today’s announcement,” he said.
“This is about 31 per cent of the current volume held in the spillable accounts.
“The Murray-Darling Basin Authority is releasing water to manage Lake Hume close to the full supply level.
“The releases to date have exhausted the rules-based accounts in the Murray system and spilled at least 89 gigalitres from Victoria’s share of Lake Hume.
“As releases to manage the Lake Hume volume continue, Murray system entitlement holders should expect further deductions from spillable water accounts in the next seasonal determination update.”
The Loddon, Campaspe and Broken systems are all at 100 per cent HRWS. Broken system low-reliability water shares increased to 85 per cent.
In its October 1 update, NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment said the cumulative allocation for NSW Murray general security was now 55 per cent of entitlement for the 2021-22 water year.
“General security water users have been exercising their uncontrolled flow access provisions taking water without-debit,” the update said.
“This will further boost allocations as they become available because without-debit take, coupled with carryover, will cause account limits to be reached earlier and therefore allocations to go further.
“Further resource improvements will be used to allocate to general security while also assuring high priority needs for 2022-23.”
Read more about Victorian allocations at: https://nvrm.net.au/ and NSW Murray allocations at: https://www.industry.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/472021/WAS-NSW-Murray-and-Lower-Darling-20211001.pdf
