SA River Murray allocations set to open at 100 per cent
In great news for South Australian River Murray irrigators, water allocations are projected to open at 100 percent for the 2022-23 water year.
Consistent inflows over an extended period of time has seen River Murray storages continue to rise.
The projected 100 percent opening allocation is great news for the state’s irrigators and gives them confidence to plan for the year ahead.
River Murray inflows over the last three months have been some of the highest on record for this time of year. These conditions have benefited the environments that rely on the water, but have also meant that irrigators have needed to draw less water from the River.
These factors have boosted Murray-Darling Basin storages to 91 percent of their capacity which is 32 percent above the long-term average for the end of March.
The early outlook advice is based on a “worst-case” water availability assessment from the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, which indicates that South Australia will receive its full annual River Murray Entitlement of 1,850 gigalitres in 2022-23.
In line with the River Murray Water Allocation Plan, private carryover will not be available in 2022‑23 as the projected minimum opening allocation is greater than 50 percent.
For more information visit the Department for Environment and Water’s website and the Murray-Darling Basin Authority website.
