General News
18 November, 2022
Low water share 77%
THE low-reliability water share for Loddon irrigators has jumped to 70 per cent. Resource manager Northern Victoria Mark Bailey said the lift from seven per cent to 77 per cent followed record inflows to several storages this year. Both the Goulburn...
THE low-reliability water share for Loddon irrigators has jumped to 70 per cent.
Resource manager Northern Victoria Mark Bailey said the lift from seven per cent to 77 per cent followed record inflows to several storages this year.
Both the Goulburn and Loddon systems, that remain at 100 per cent high-reliability water share, have seen LRWS lift from seven per cent to 100 per cent.
The Murray system’s 40 per cent of low-reliability water shares also goes to 100 per cent following Tuesday’s announcement.
The seasonal determinations in the Broken, Campaspe and Bullarook systems all remain at the maximum availability of 100 per cent HRWS and 100 per cent LRWS.
Mr Bailey said the improved seasonal determinations came from continued high flows into Murray and Goulburn storages during the second half of October and early November.
“Controlled releases from Lake Hume and Lake Eildon have occurred throughout October and November,” Dr Bailey said. “These releases signalled the availability of more resources for distribution.
“The releases from Lake Hume supported the availability of 100 per cent of low-reliability water shares.
“About 180 GL will be transferred into Murray spillable water accounts and all this will be deducted.”
“The releases from Lake Eildon will deduct about 490 gigalitres from Goulburn spillable water accounts.
That will be 100 per cent of the volume transferred into those accounts. More water may go into Goulburn spillable accounts if further low-reliability seasonal determinations are made.”
Dr Bailey said there had beenrecord inflows during October at several northern Victorian storages, including Lake Eildon, Lake Eppalock and Cairn Curran Reservoir.
“Water use is about 80 per cent lower than this time last year because of the wet conditions. Use is normally an important factor in determining availability and lowering commitments, but not this year.”
Dr Bailey said longer term Bureau of Meteorology outlooks still favoured wetter conditions over the summer months, which was expected to contribute to further seasonal determination improvements in the Goulburn system.
Allocation trade from New South Wales to Victoria is not currently possible because Victoria’s shares of Lake Hume and Dartmouth Reservoir are full.
The next release of Goulburn to Murray trade opportunity will be in December.