| |
| |
|
All Current and Past Media Releases
|
Media Release - Department of Water and Energy Date: 1 July 2009 FULL ALLOCATIONS FOR HUNTER AND CENTRAL COAST WATER USERS The NSW Department of Water and Energy today announced Available Water Determinations (AWD) for the Hunter and Central Coast regions, for the new 2009-2010 water year commencing on 1 July 2009. Based on current storage levels, both general and high security access licence holders on the Regulated Hunter River and Glennies Creek and the Regulated Paterson River will receive 1 megalitre per share unit. General security water users in these systems are also able to carry-over a volume not exceeding 10 per cent of the share component of the access licence. All other categories of access licences, except for supplementary water access licences on the Regulated Hunter River and Glennies Creek will receive 100 per cent of their share component for the new water year. Similarly, access licence holders on the Wybong, Karuah, Jilliby Jilliby and Ourimbah Creek surface water sources, together with Tomago-Tomaree-Stockton, Wybong and zones 1-8 of the Kulnura-Mangrove Mountain groundwater sources, will also receive 100 per cent of their share component or 1 megalitre per share unit. Total storage capacities in the Hunter have shown a pleasing upward trend over the last year; combined storage levels for Glenbawn and Glennies Creek dams currently sit at around 75 per cent. While Lostock Dam is at 100 per cent. This is a noticeable improvement on the same time last year when storage totals were around 55 per cent. Rainfall patterns over the last 12 months have also provided Hunter farmers with some relief by replenishing soil moisture and lessening the need for irrigation water. Several good rainfall events below the storages have also allowed water users to access flood flows to replenish dams and irrigate without drawing water from the upstream storages. An initial AWD of 0.1 megalitre per share for supplementary water access licences on the Hunter Regulated River and Glennies Creek has also been announced for the 2009-2010 water year. This share will be increased during the year if river conditions permit. In the past year, good flows have resulted in supplementary licence holders being allowed to access 1.3 megalitres per share. Licence holders who access water from sources not covered by a water sharing plan are allocated full entitlement unless otherwise stated. Additional information on AWDs is available on the Department’s website at www.dwe.nsw.gov.au Alternatively; licence holders can phone the Newcastle office on 4904 2572 for more information.
|
|||||||||||||||