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All Current and Past Media Releases
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Media Release - Department of Water and Energy Date: 1 July 2008 COMMENCING ALLOCATIONS ANNOUNCED FOR MURRUMBIDGEE VALLEY WATER USERS The NSW Department of Water and Energy today announced commencing allocations for NSW water users in the Murrumbidgee Valley for the 2008-09 water year. With little inflow to water storages in the valley, water availability remains critically low. In the Murrumbidgee Valley there is sufficient water available to; • meet the critical domestic needs of town water supply for the whole of 2008-2009; • deliver all carryover. There is currently not enough water available to make an Available Water Determination for general or high security users; however, licence holders have full access to water carried over in 2007-2008.
All water in accounts is tradable from 1 July 2008.
The carryover limit in the Murrumbidgee Valley has been increased to 30 per cent for general security licences to allow water users more flexibility in managing their entitlements in drought. This will apply to carryover from the 2008/09 water year to the 2009/2010 water year.
An immediate embargo has been placed on the conversion of general to high security entitlements or vice versa. This will remain until the Department has reviewed conversion rates in consideration of long term forecasts of reduced water availability. The drought has continued in the Murrumbidgee Valley and while storages are higher than at this time last year, much of this water is private carryover, undelivered inter-valley transfers and pre-releases from Snowy Hydro Corporation. Licensed domestic and stock will commence on 50 per cent of entitlement. Flows have been reduced to minimums to save as much water as possible and only the minimum volume of conveyance water will be made available to deliver supply into both the Yanco Creek system and to the Irrigation Corporations.
Town water supply authorities will commence on 50 per cent of entitlement and are advised to be extremely conservative with all water use. If water availability remains low it can be expected that severe water restrictions will be implemented in the coming year. The next announcement relating to the Murrumbidgee regulated water source will be made on the 15th of August and then on the 15th of each month via the Murrumbidgee Critical Water Communiqués. These communiqués are available on the Department’s website at www.dwe.nsw.gov.au via the ‘What’s New’ tab on the homepage.
© NSW Department of Natural Resources
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