Water trades in the NSW Southern Basin close at the end of May

19-May-2011

NSW Water Commissioner, David Harriss, today reminded all licensed water users in the NSW Murray, Lower Darling and Murrumbidgee valleys that all temporary water trades including interstate, inter-valley and within valley for 2010/11 will cease at close of business on Tuesday 31 May 2011.

Mr Harriss said that despite the water market being “flatter” than in previous years, there had still been a significant volume traded this water year in the southern Murray-Darling Basin. “The net volume of water traded out of the NSW Murray Valley to April this water year has been nearly 103,000 megalitres, while in the Murrumbidgee Valley net trade out was just over 100,000 megalitres,” Mr Harriss said. “A total of 39,000 megalitres of water was traded out of the Lower Darling valley of which around 20,000 megalitres was traded into South Australia.”

Mr Harriss said that the extended duration of high flows and access to supplementary flows in the Murray and Murrumbidgee River systems this year, has made the physical delivery of trade water and the corresponding reduction of inter-valley trade accounts problematic. “Large volumes of undelivered trade water will continue to be an issue into the 2011/12 water year, particularly for the Murrumbidgee Valley,” he said. “In the Murray Valley, temporary trade of water from upstream to downstream of the Barmah Choke will be allowed in 2011/12. Similarly, temporary trade into and out of the Lower Darling will be allowed in 2011/12 consistent with the water sharing plan.” Mr Harriss said that the outlook for water availability in 2011/12 is the most promising since 2001. “The current assessment based on minimum inflows indicates a commencing general security allocation of around 60 per cent for the NSW Murray Valley and around 40 per cent for the Murrumbidgee.”

“General security water users in the Lower Darling River Valley will have access to 100 per cent of their entitlement in the coming year,” said Mr Harriss. Mr Harriss reiterated that the water sharing plans for both the NSW Murray Lower Darling and the Regulated Murrumbidgee would recommence in July.