River Murray water allocations open at 100 per cent

It is the fourth successive year that local irrigators will start the financial year with full allocations and follows above average rainfall and inflows across the Murray-Darling Basin over the past 12 months.

In line with the River Murray Water Allocation Plan, irrigators will not be able to carryover unused water from the previous year as the projected minimum opening allocation is greater than 50 per cent.

Department for Environment and Water Acting Executive Director Water and River Murray, Sue Hutchings said the full opening entitlement is good news for river communities.

“It is encouraging for our irrigators to go into another water year with the confidence of having full allocations available to them,” Ms Hutchings said.

Ms Hutchings said that as part of the state government’s ongoing commitment to helping irrigators manage their water, the online SA River Murray Water Calculator developed by DEW is again available.

“The calculator can help you work out how much water you could have under different scenarios, so you can plan for the season ahead. The interactive nature of the calculator means you can explore any scenario you choose, not just those presented in the allocation statements,” Ms Hutchings said.

For more information visit the Department for Environment and Water’s website and the Murray-Darling Basin Authority website.