NSW water allocations
MURRAY allocations have risen from 26 per cent of highreliability water shares to 33 per cent in Victoria, but remain at zero for NSW irrigators reliant on the iconic river.
The minimum water allocation for South Australian irrigators has risen from 68 to 74 per cent for 2019-20.
The Northern Victoria resource manager was able to lift Goulburn and Loddon system allocations from 32 per cent to 37 per cent of the Human Right to Water and Sanitation.
But further west the Campaspe system only moved from 48 per cent to 49 per cent.
Resource manager Andrew Shields said flows into the major storages maintained relatively steady since the last assessment and this contributed to the increase in water available.
“Flows into the storages are below average for this time of the year,” Mr Shields said.
“The catchments remain relatively wet but more rainfall during spring is needed to increase the volume of water available.
“With the seasonal determinations rising above 30 per cent in the Murray system, early season reserves for 2020-21 are being established.
“These reserves will be fully established when the Murray system seasonal determination is 44 per cent.
“The latest Bureau of Meteorology seasonal outlook indicates below-average rainfall across all of northern Victoria is more likely during the September to November period.”
Meanwhile in NSW, Murray irrigators need 95,000 megalitres to cover their conveyance losses, before an allocation can be made, with just 10,000ML accumulated over the past fortnight.
On the Murrumbidgee general security allocations rose from three per cent to six per cent.
Allocation trade from NSW to Victoria is limited to the lesser of a net annual volume of 200GL or a volume that keeps the risk of spill in the Murray system below 50 per cent.
The current risk of spill in the Murray system allows 200GL of net trade from NSW to Victoria.
The Goulburn system’s inter-valley trade account owes about 229GL to the Murray system.
The Goulburn, Campaspe and Loddon systems can trade to the Victorian Murray system, NSW and South Australia while the total volume owed to the Murray system is less than 200GL.
The Goulburn, Campaspe and Loddon systems can trade from the Victorian Murray system, NSW and South Australia while the total volume owed to the Murray system is greater than zero.
Customers participating in the water trading market can monitor trade availability on the Water Register website, waterregister.vic.gov.au/ water-trading/allocation-trading.
The Murray-Darling Basin Authority is restricting trade of water allocations from above the Barmah Choke to downstream of the Choke to protect the delivery of downstream water entitlements. Customers can monitor trading opportunities across the Barmah Choke on the authority’s website.
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