RIVER MURRAY WEEKLY REPORT
FOR THE WEEK ENDING WEDNESDAY, 1ST APRIL 2016
Trim Ref: D15/13423
Rainfall and Inflows
Conditions were generally cooler across the Murray-Darling Basin this week following the passage of a
cold front across southern Australia. Rain was recorded in parts of Queensland, eastern NSW and in
the south of the Basin; while central and western areas remained mostly dry (Map 1).
The highest weekly rain totals fell in north-eastern NSW and included 72 mm at Glen Innes, 58 mm at
Rowena and 40 mm at Pindari Dam. Totals in Queensland included 46 mm at Derbyshire Downs and
31 mm at The Head. Rain totals in the south were mainly less than 10 mm.
Map 1 - Murray Darling Basin rainfall week ending 1st April 2015 (Source: Bureau of Meteorology)
With mostly dry conditions persisting across the south-eastern ranges, stream flows have continued to
slowly recede. On the Mitta Mitta River, the flow at Hinnomunjie Bridge has decreased below
140 ML/day. On the Murray, the flow at Biggara receded from 260 to 200 ML/day. Flows of around 200
ML/day are continuing on the Ovens River.
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March 2015 Summary
Rainfall for March was below average across most of the Basin, with very much below average rain in
parts of the south-east and through central, western and northern NSW, where many locations received
no rain at all for the month. Totals were generally closer to average in the north (Map 2). Across the
Basin as a whole, the Bureau of Meteorology reported area-averaged rain totalling 16.1 mm. This is
58% below the long-term March mean and the 22nd driest March in 116 years of record.
Temperatures during March were variable across the Basin, with significantly above-average conditions
in the north and temperatures more typical of early autumn in the south.
Map 2 - Murray Darling Basin rainfall deciles for March 2015 (Source: Bureau of Meteorology).
River Murray System inflows (excluding Snowy Scheme, Darling River and managed environmental
inflows) were around only 50 GL for March. This volume is less than a quarter of the long-term monthly
average (see the graph on page 7) and only slightly more than the record lowest March inflows of 1998
(~40 GL) and 2009 (~50 GL).
Estimated evaporation losses from MDBA storages for March 2015 are reported in Table 1. Evaporation
at Dartmouth and Hume reservoirs was similar to February, reflecting the dry and sunny weather in this
part of the Basin. Volumes evaporated at Lake Victoria and the Menindee Lakes have reduced since
last month. This would be expected due to the smaller volumes of water in these two storages (reducing
surface areas), and the reduced temperatures and day length in March compared to February.
GPO Box 1801 Canberra ACT 2601
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Table 1: Monthly evaporation figures for MDBA storages
Approximate evaporation in
Storage
March 2015 (GL)
Dartmouth
6
Hume
14
Lake Victoria
15
Menindee Lakes
17
March average storage
volume (GL)
3027
923
222
96
River Operations



Storage in Dartmouth Reservoir decreases below 3,000 GL;
Lock 7 remaining closed to boat access over Easter;
Increased flows into South Australia during April.
MDBA total storage fell by 123 GL this week, with the active storage now 3,682 GL (44% capacity).
Dartmouth Reservoir storage decreased by 25 GL to 2,994 GL (78% capacity). This is the first time
Dartmouth has been below 3,000 GL since March 2012. The release from Dartmouth, measured at
the Colemans gauge, is currently 3,500 ML/day and will continue at this rate over the Easter period.
Higher releases are planned to begin after Easter (see attached flow advice for more information).
At Hume Reservoir the storage fell by 76 GL to 709 GL (24% capacity). Release averaged 17,500
ML/day for the week and varied between 15,000 and 19,000 ML/day to meet downstream needs.
At Yarrawonga Weir, the total diversion through the major irrigation offtakes persisted at relatively
high rates, with around 7,000 ML/day diverted on average over the last 7 days. The release
downstream of Yarrawonga Weir continues at close to 10,000 ML/day, with additional water flowing
through the major irrigation escapes in order to meet total downstream requirements.
On the Edward River system, the Edward Offtake and Gulpa offtakes are passing flows at regulated
channel capacity. At Stevens Weir, the flow downstream averaged 2,300 ML/day for the week, which
is a little below regulated channel capacity. Downstream on the Wakool River, flows are slowly rising
at most gauges with the arrival of additional water from the irrigation escapes. For example, the flow at
Stoney Crossing has increased from 230 to 350 ML/day; while downstream of the Edward River
junction, the flow at Kyalite has increased to an estimated 2,500 ML/day.
On the Goulburn River, the flow at McCoys receded from 3,400 to 2,000 ML/day and will continue
falling over the coming days.
Downstream at Torrumbarry Weir, diversions at National Channel averaged just over 3,000 ML/day
this week, and are expected to continue at around this rate over the coming week. The downstream
flow at Torrumbarry is currently 6,100 ML/day and will continue receding over the coming week.
Flow at Swan Hill peaked at 6,800 ML/day over the weekend and has since receded to 6,400 ML/day.
On the lower Murrumbidgee River, Inter Valley Transfer (IVT) water continues to be delivered at
Balranald with a target of 900 ML/day. The current flow rate is 1,150 ML/day.
The Euston Weir pool level has been managed this week to assist a number of boats that were
stranded on the ‘cut’, a natural elevated cutting through a bend in the Murray that is inundated by the
weir pool. The level was temporarily raised close to FSL and will now be lowered again to provide
additional flows in the Murray to meet downstream demands. The weir pool is likely to remain lowered
for some time, unless there is sufficient future rain in the mid-Murray to assist in reducing demands
enough to refill the weir pool.
On the Darling River, flows upstream of the Menindee Lakes (currently managed by NSW) have
almost ceased again, while releases into the lower Darling continued to be varied around a minimum
flow target to help water access while also conserving the remaining water resource to the extent
possible. The Menindee Lakes total storage volume decreased by 4 GL to 85 GL (5% capacity).
Downstream at Wentworth Weir, the flow has been fairly steady over the past week, but will begin
rising during the coming days. At Lock 8, the weir pool level will be gradually lowered a further 20 cm
GPO Box 1801 Canberra ACT 2601
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to 80 cm below FSL during April. This is occurring as part of the current weir pool variability trial. At
Lock 7, river users are reminded that planned maintenance work is continuing and as a result, the
lock chamber will remain closed to boat access during the Easter long weekend. The works are
scheduled for completion by mid-April.
At Lake Victoria, the storage volume decreased by 19 GL to 173 GL (26% capacity). The current low
levels in Lake Victoria have resulted from on-going releases to meet demand in South Australia. They
also align with the Lake Victoria Operating Strategy (used to guide the operations of Lake Victoria)
that allows for seasonal variation in the lake level to assist the growth of vegetation that stabilises the
lake shore. Recent monitoring at Lake Victoria indicates further improvement to vegetation on the
shore as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1 - Several decades of high lake levels resulted in considerable vegetation loss around Lake Victoria in SW NSW. A more
favourable wetting and drying regime implemented over the last 15 years has led to revegetation in many areas. However in some
low areas (such as pictured here) that are still inundated for much of the year, vegetation recovery is occurring more slowly.
Vegetation plays an important role in trapping sand and stabilising the beach, which assists the conservation of Aboriginal
cultural heritage material. Photo: Hugo Bowman, MDBA.
The flow to South Australia averaged 6,100 ML/day over the last week. A flow rate of 6,400 ML/day will
be targeted for the beginning of April, which is above the normal April entitlement rate due to the
continued delivery of additional environmental water.
At the Lower Lakes, barrage releases have continued whenever conditions allow, with large swells and
high tides forcing barrage closure at times. The 5-day average level in Lake Alexandrina has decreased
to 0.50 m AHD. Barrage releases will be managed to gradually increase the level in Lake Alexandrina
during the first half of April.
For media inquiries contact the Media Officer on 02 6279 0141
DAVID DREVERMAN
Executive Director, River Management
GPO Box 1801 Canberra ACT 2601
Email: engagement@mdba.gov.au
Telephone: 02 6279 0100
Web: www.mdba.gov.au
Facsimile: 02 6248 8053
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Page 4 of 8
Water in Storage
Week ending Wednesday 01 Apr 2015
Full
Supply
Level
MDBA Storages
Dartmouth Reservoir
Hume Reservoir
Lake Victoria
Menindee Lakes
Total
Total Active MDBA Storage
Current
Storage
Level
Full Supply
Volume
(m AHD)
486.00
192.00
27.00
(GL)
3 856
3 005
677
1 731*
9 269
Major State Storages
Burrinjuck Reservoir
Blowering Reservoir
Eildon Reservoir
Current
Storage
(GL)
2 994
709
173
85
3 961
%
78%
24%
26%
5%
43%
332
460
1 971
32%
28%
59%
(m AHD)
471.83
175.93
22.19
1 026
1 631
3 334
Dead
Storage
Active
Storage
(GL)
71
23
100
(- -) #
--
(GL)
2 923
686
73
0
3 682
44% ^
3
24
100
329
436
1 871
Change in
Total
Storage
for the
Week
(GL)
-25
-76
-19
-4
-123
-0
-14
-52
* Menindee surcharge capacity – 2050 GL
** All Data is rounded to nearest GL **
# NSW takes control of Menindee Lakes when storage falls below 480 GL, and control reverts to MDBA when storage next reaches 640 GL
^ % of total active MDBA storage
Snowy Mountains Scheme
Storage
Lake Eucumbene - Total
Snowy-Murray Component
Target Storage
Snowy diversions for week ending 31 Mar 2015
Active Storage
(GL)
2 181
1 005
1 340
Weekly Change
(GL)
n/a
n/a
Diversion (GL)
From 1 May
2014
372
213
159
647
This Week
Snowy-Murray
Tooma-Tumut
Net Diversion
Murray 1 Release
+29
+3
26
+31
Major Diversions from Murray and Lower Darling (GL) *
New South Wales
This Week
Murray Irrig. Ltd (Net)
Wakool Sys Allowance
Western Murray Irrigation
Licensed Pumps
Lower Darling
TOTAL
25.0
3.1
0.2
8.3
0.1
36.7
From 1 July
2014
789
68
23
246
60
1186
Victoria
This Week
Yarrawonga Main Channel (net)
Torrumbarry System + Nyah (net)
Sunraysia Pumped Districts
Licensed pumps - GMW (Nyah+u/s)
Licensed pumps - LMW
TOTAL
11.9
20.5
1.7
1.9
2
38
From 1
July 2014
271
550
100
59
264
1244
* Figures derived from estimates and monthly data. Please note that not all data may have been available at the time of creating this report.
** All data above is rounded to nearest 100 ML for weekly data and nearest GL for cumulative data**
Flow to South Australia (GL)
* Flow to SA will be greater than normal
entitlement for this month due to the delivery of
additional environmental water.
Salinity (EC)
Entitlement this month
Flow this week
Flow so far this month
Flow last month
135.0 *
42.7
6.0
250.1
(6 100 ML/day)
(microSiemens/cm at 25o C)
Current
Swan Hill
Euston
Red Cliffs
Merbein
Burtundy (Darling)
Lock 9
Lake Victoria
Berri
Waikerie
Morgan
Mannum
Murray Bridge
Milang (Lake Alex.)
Poltalloch (Lake Alex.)
Meningie (Lake Alb.)
Goolwa Barrages
Average over the last week
100
80
120
110
880
110
240
250
280
270
290
300
810
730
2 560
2 000
GPO Box 1801 Canberra ACT 2601
Email: engagement@mdba.gov.au
Average since 1 August 2014
80
80
120
110
880
110
240
240
280
270
290
300
800
740
2 530
3 180
Telephone: 02 6279 0100
Web: www.mdba.gov.au
90
100
120
130
760
140
210
220
280
280
330
360
780
620
2 420
1 240
Facsimile: 02 6248 8053
ABN 13679821382
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River Levels and Flows
Week ending Wednesday 01 Apr 2015
7.3
-
1.91
2.30
3.55
3.36
2.42
3.22
1.64
2.25
2.13
1.25
3.10
1.60
2.78
3.27
0.49
208.43
219.19
157.18
151.83
149.86
129.24
116.68
106.09
80.68
64.17
52.22
43.44
27.54
20.20
-
(ML/day)
6 450
5 840
3 440
18 380
19 200
15 750
9 960
10 040
6 090
6 410
8 340
8 160
6 470
6 270
5 160
4 600
F
R
F
R
R
F
S
F
F
F
R
R
F
R
R
F
(ML/day)
4 510
4 610
3 440
17 530
17 900
17 700
9 910
10 040
6 780
6 630
7 790
7 120
5 980
6 130
5 260
4 340
Average
Flow last
Week
(ML/day)
3 670
3 610
1 170
16 970
17 640
17 240
9 910
10 050
6 530
4 930
6 320
6 390
5 870
5 850
5 720
4 210
2.7
11.9
9.0
5.0
-
0.69
7.75
2.06
2.13
2.76
1.38
1.55
3.15
3.96
0.62
153.92
145.43
93.48
81.90
58.14
54.87
57.51
-
150
200
1 970
2 190
2 240
350
1 150
30
20
0
S
S
F
F
R
R
R
S
F
F
160
200
2 480
2 320
2 180
270
1 080
30
30
0
200
220
3 530
2 610
2 080
260
810
60
100
0
N/A
270
Minor Flood
Stage
River Murray
Khancoban
Jingellic
Tallandoon ( Mitta Mitta River )
Heywoods
Doctors Point
Albury
Corowa
Yarrawonga Weir (d/s)
Tocumwal
Torrumbarry Weir (d/s)
Swan Hill
Wakool Junction
Euston Weir (d/s)
Mildura Weir (d/s)
Wentworth Weir (d/s)
Rufus Junction
Blanchetown (Lock 1 d/s)
(m)
Tributaries
Kiewa at Bandiana
Ovens at Wangaratta
Goulburn at McCoys Bridge
Edward at Stevens Weir (d/s)
Edward at Liewah
Wakool at Stoney Crossing
Murrumbidgee at Balranald
Barwon at Mungindi
Darling at Bourke
Darling at Burtundy Rocks
Gauge
local (m)
4.0
4.2
5.5
5.5
4.3
4.6
6.4
6.4
7.3
4.5
8.8
8.8
Height
(m AHD)
Flow
Trend
Average Flow
this Week
Natural Inflow to Hume
(i.e. Pre Dartmouth & Snowy Mountains scheme)
Weirs and Locks Pool levels above or below Full Supply Level (FSL)
Murray
Yarrawonga
No. 26 Torrumbarry
No. 15 Euston
No. 11 Mildura
No. 10 Wentworth
No. 9 Kulnine
No. 8 Wangumma
Lower Lakes
FSL (m AHD)
124.90
86.05
47.60
34.40
30.80
27.40
24.60
u/s
-0.09
+0.00
-0.05
+0.04
+0.10
-0.07
-0.64
d/s
+0.20
+0.14
-0.60
+0.16
FSL (m AHD)
22.10
19.25
16.30
13.20
9.80
6.10
3.20
No. 7 Rufus River
No. 6 Murtho
No. 5 Renmark
No. 4 Bookpurnong
No. 3 Overland Corner
No. 2 Waikerie
No. 1 Blanchetown
u/s
+0.05
-0.00
+0.02
+0.05
+0.03
+0.03
-0.08
d/s
+0.95
+0.03
+0.20
+0.65
+0.17
+0.06
-0.26
FSL = 0.75 m AHD
Lake Alexandrina average level for the past 5 days (m AHD)
Barrages
0.50
Fishways at Barrages
Openings
Level (m AHD)
No. Open
Goolwa
128 openings
0.55
1
Mundoo
26 openings
0.52
All closed
Boundary Creek
6 openings
0.1
Ewe Island
111 gates
All closed
Tauwitchere
322 gates
0.55
2
AHD = Level relative to Australian Height Datum, i.e. height above sea level
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Vertical Slot
Open
Open
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Week ending Wednesday 01 Apr 2015
State Allocations (as at 01 Apr 2015)
NSW - Murray Valley
High security
General security
Victorian - Murray Valley
97%
61%
NSW – Murrumbidgee Valley
High security
General security
95%
51%
100%
0%
Victorian - Goulburn Valley
High reliability
Low reliability
100%
0%
South Australia – Murray Valley
NSW - Lower Darling
High security
General security
High reliability
Low reliability
100%
100%
High security
100%
NSW :
http://www.water.nsw.gov.au/Water-management/Water-availability/Waterallocations/Water-allocations-summary/water-allocations-summary/default.aspx
VIC :
SA :
http://www.nvrm.net.au/allocations/current.aspx
http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/managing-natural-resources/river-murray
GPO Box 1801 Canberra ACT 2601
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Telephone: 02 6279 0100
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Flow advice
2 April 2015
Autumn flows on the Mitta to vary
Landholders and river users on the Mitta Mitta are advised that following an increased release into the
river from Dartmouth Dam next week, flows will vary during autumn.
The volume of water released from the dam will increase from 3500 megalitres per day (ML/day) on
Tuesday 7 April until it reaches 6500 megalitres per day on Thursday 9 April.
Flows in the Mitta Mitta River during the rest of autumn will be dependent on weather conditions and
operational requirements.
Landholders and river users are encouraged to stay informed by regularly checking the current flow
information and forecasts updated each week on the MDBA website, as well as reading the weekly
report.
The current storage volume in Dartmouth Reservoir is 2994GL (78% capacity) while Hume Reservoir’s
storage is 709GL (24% capacity).
The Bureau of Meteorology is now advising that an El Niño is likely in 2015. An El Niño in 2015 does
not automatically mean dry conditions but increases the likelihood of lower winter-spring rainfall in
south east Australia.
If dry conditions continue, bulk transfers of water from Dartmouth to Hume Dam could begin as early
as winter.
ENDS
For more information, contact the MDBA Media office at media@mdba.gov.au or 02 6279 0141
Follow @MD_Basin_Auth on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MD_Basin_Auth
Join the discussion on the MDBA blog: http://freeflow.mdba.gov.au
Page 8 of 8