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Media Release - Department of Water and Energy Date: 17 August 2009 IMPROVEMENT FOR MURRUMBIDGEE HIGH SECURITY IRRIGATORS BUT MURRAY ALLOCATIONS REMAIN UNCHANGED NSW Water Commissioner, David Harriss, today announced an increase in allocation for high security water users in the Murrumbidgee Valley.
“A combination of minor improvements from the Snowy System, small inflows into dams and a revision of the amount of water reserved to meet carry-over, has allowed for an increase in high security allocations in the Murrumbidgee Valley from 5 to 20 per cent of entitlement,” said Mr Harriss.
Mr Harriss said that there would be no increase to Murray high security allocations that will remain on 8 per cent of entitlement.
“All of the improvement in water availability to the NSW Murray this month, has been used to repay water owed to Victoria that was borrowed under 2009/10 sharing arrangements which enabled the supply of carry-over early in the season and a small high security allocation,
“This clears approximately half of the water that NSW owes to Victoria,” he said
Mr Harriss said that the increase in high security allocations in the Murrumbidgee Valley means that Councils and Town Water Supply Authorities can ease these restrictions to level 3a which is equivalent to 4 hours of outside watering per week,” he said.
Mr Harriss also reminded all water users in both the Murray and Murrumbidgee Valleys that their Shire water restrictions apply to water taken under basic landholder rights or from private bores for private domestic use.
“People who draw water directly from a river or creek or from a bore are subject to the same water restriction as the Shire,” he said.
Mr Harriss said that the temporary embargo on trades out of the Murrumbidgee valley remains in place but that the Office of Water is investigating the opportunities to re open trades as soon as possible.
Further details are available in the Critical Water planning communiqués, available on the today from the Department’s website: www.dwe.nsw.gov.au.
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