Today we’re starting the first of what will be weekly River Murray operations updates on the blog. You can find the full River Murray Weekly Report – including images, graphs and data on flow and salinity – on the MDBA website. The full report is available in both pdf and doc formats.
River Operations Update
MDBA active storage decreased by 24 GL during the week to 7,489 GL (87% capacity). At Dartmouth Reservoir, the total storage increased by 5 GL to 2,859 GL, which is 74% capacity. The release remained steady at the normal minimum of 200 ML/day.
At Hume Reservoir, the release peaked at 16,300 ML/day earlier in the week but has since been reduced to 7,500 ML/day as both downstream demands and transmission losses dropped back. The storage is currently holding 2,784 GL (or 93% capacity), which is a decrease of 45 GL since last week.
At Lake Mulwala, the pool level is currently 124.78 m AHD. Diversions at both Mulwala Canal and the Yarrawonga Main Channel increased slightly early in the week but have both since dropped back. Release from Yarrawonga Weir is currently 12,100 ML/day after being at 11,000 ML/day for the majority of the past week. This release is being targeted to supply environmental entitlements that are maintaining over-bank flows to the Barmah-Millewa forest. With heavy rain forecast in the coming days, higher releases at Yarrawonga Weir may be required later in the week.
On the Edward River, inflows through the Edward and Gulpa offtakes have remained relatively steady over the past week and are currently at 1,660 and 755 ML/day respectively. At Stevens Weir, the flow has eased from 2,200 to 1,900 ML/day during the week and is expected to remain around this level over the coming days. Further downstream, the flows at most locations on the Edward-Wakool system are expected to continue receding slowly over the coming days.
On the Goulburn River, the flow at McCoys Bridge has averaged just under 1,200 ML/day over the past week with the flow elevated as a result of environmental releases. Higher flows are expected resulting from rainfall forecast over the coming days.
At Torrumbarry Weir, diversions to the National Channel have been averaging around 2,000 ML/day during the past week but are expected to decrease over the coming days. Flow downstream of the Weir has decreased from 9,200 to 7,200 ML/day during the week and is expected to remain around 8,000 ML/day over the coming days. Downstream at Euston, the flow has decreased from 16,000 to 10,000 ML/day and is expected to recede only slightly in the coming week.
The release from Menindee Lakes—currently surcharged at 107% capacity—continues to vary between 300 and 700 ML/day at Weir 32. Higher releases are expected to commence in late November. These higher releases will be required to transfer water from the Menindee Lakes to reduce the rate of fall at Lake Victoria and to contribute to the delivery of entitlement flows and trade to South Australia. Further information will be provided in a flow advice in the near future.
Lake Victoria is now effectively full with a water level of 26.95 m AHD (99% capacity). The lake is expected to remain close to full supply level for the next week before higher releases are required which will draw the lake level down. The flow into South Australia has averaged 11,200 ML/day during the week and is expected to be fully regulated by early next week.
The water level in the Lower Lakes has varied between 0.75 and 0.8 m AHD during the last couple of weeks. Flow from the River Murray into the sea continues through the barrages at Goolwa, Boundary Creek, Ewe Island and Tauwitchere and the fishways remain open.
I think this blog is a good initiative, hoepfully it will clarify how the MDBA run the various rivers and what the purpose of particular flows are. There are many misconceptions out there – a few years ago I was told by an irrigator that “the MDBC had been running ...
... an environmental flow in the Murray for three months” When I investigated, it turned out they were actually sending water to Lake Victoria for use in Adelaide that summer.
I have a very grave concern and this concern is shared by many others, both environmentalists and irrigators!
Mr Burke has stated that cotton and wine re not staple crops, but that farmer hold be able to grow what they want to with the water they have. Seems to be a ...
... hedging of bets here!
If this is what Mr Burke says, then why is the MDBA and Mr Knowles stating that mining industries isn’t be able to access more ground water? He says that this water is not usable by any other source! I thought the NWI has firmly stated and the States have agreed to treat all surface and ground water as one!!!! Well, how on earth could adding more users to any type of water , which is supposedly inter-connected (he forgets the interaction between the GAB and the MDB and this has most certainly been ignored most conveniently) be of benefit to th GAB or the MDB? Surely it is NOT the time to increase any type of extraction Mr Burke and MDBA?
To take with one hand, ignoring the impacts, and give with the others smacks of political intrigue and vested interests,or at the very least questionable lobbying of the MDBA and Mr Knowles.
The primary goal of the MDBA I thought was to return the Basin to a sustainable level, where wetlands, floodplains, aquifers, and other systems which are provided FREE by our natural environment are returned to a healthy state. At the moment the CSIRO and others report that there are serious questions about the healthy of most of th MDB and this does nothing to reassure us that there in NO interaction between the GAB and the MDB. THEY OVERLAP FOR GOODNESS SAKE. What impacts one in certain areas and circumstances impacts on the entire system of Basins. Nothing acts in isolation, haven’t you learnt that?
To encourage mining, especially CSG mining with its controversial fracking methods and other questionable extractive methods is totally irresponsible. Saying that the MDBA does not tell people what to grow, what to mine, or to mine at all ignores the fact that you are prepared to offer up more water without scientific evidence that the impacts are negligible is totally ignoring the Precautionary Principle. This is happening all over both the GAB and MDB. Government and government bodies such as thie MDBA is demonstrating that they play to vested interests, whether it is mining companies and their huge dollars or other huge enterprises that offer many tax dollars to government’s coffers.
When looking at extractions for the MDB surely you cannot totally ignore the overlapping GAB with it ancient water that takes millions of years to replenish.
Both surface and groundwater are prt of the one system, and this cannot be ignored or made a secondary Consideration, but must be factored in. Increasing extractions from underground WILL have an impact, whether it is local or wider, you are till ignoring th fact that all systems in the MDB are interconnected. The impacts might be singular, but then cumulative with the amount of holes being proposed by CSG and other mining, even uranium!! These impact will be unacceptable and could be foreseen if the Precautionary Principle were taken into account as it should be.
I meant tha Mr Knowles and the MDBA have said they will INCREASE the amount of groundwater available to mining companies. This belies the fact that the NWI and States have agreed to treat surface and groundwater as one!!! Impacts on one will be felt on the other, whether localized ...
... or far wider and later. Some water seeps back into the system further along, not only at the source. There is not enough scientific research or evidence on the MDB and GAB groundwater and surface water interconnectedness and this flies in the face of thie Precautionary Principle. Surely?!
The South Autralians have been putting out this kind of data for ages. Have yet to see NSW and Victoria do the same. As well I have be able to source what flows are going to be released by the Cth Enviro Water Holder and where it is going and ...
... what it will benefit. We need to have easy access to all this type of information as a community, not just to be held by government to their chests. Information is the key to bringing people on board and by encouraging public participation and rigorous community consultation the outcome for the MDB will be better.
We need to have salinity reports nd how much water is used to carry other entitlements, and whose water is that? Also when we have salt interception schemes, what water do they use, how much and what happens to the salt and to the water? Will the MDB plan ensure that slat interception is accounted for?
Hi Maria,
Salt interception schemes in the Basin intercept saline groundwater (ranging in salinity from around 20,000-80,000 EC) before it enters the River system. The result is improved water quality for downstream environmental, domestic and irrigation water users.
We currently oversee the management of salt interception schemes that target high salt inflows ...
... from Waikerie in South Australia through to Kerang in Northern Victoria and Bourke in New South Wales. Through a program of scheme optimisation (aimed at minimising pumping volumes whilst maximising in-stream salinity benefits), the total pumping by these schemes in 2010/11 was close to 17.5 GL of water containing close to 500,000 tonnes of salt. In most cases, saline water extracted by these salt interception schemes is relocated in the landscape away from the River system where it partly evaporates and the remainder seeps back into the saline groundwater systems. In a couple of instances (Buronga in NSW and Pyramid Creek in Vic), commercial salt harvesting operations have been established that harvest all the salt extracted by these two schemes.
A Water Quality and Salinity Management Plan is included as part of the Basin Plan. Its overarching objective is to maintain appropriate water quality – including salinity levels – for environmental, social, cultural and economic activity in the Basin.
If you’re interested in salinity data, have a look at the weekly flow and salinity reports on the MDBA website.
- Jasmine