DEW issues River Murray water allocation statement
SA River Murray irrigators will have a 100% water allocation.
The Department of Environment and Water has announced that the projected minimum opening allocation for South Australian River Murray irrigators for the 2023–24 water year is 100%.
A River Murray irrigator is someone who uses River Murray water on their farm.
The DEW projection is based on a water availability assessment provided by the Murray–Darling Basin Authority that shows in a worst-case scenario, South Australia will receive its full annual River Murray Entitlement of 1,850 gigalitres (GL).
An entitlement in this context refers to the amount of water that irrigators would be entitled to use during a normal year.
With the projected minimum opening allocation being greater than 50%, carryover of allocations from 2022–23 will not be available in 2023–24.
As the projected minimum opening allocation is 100% for the 2023–24 water year, no more allocation announcements are scheduled for the 2023–24 water year.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology, the climatic changes known as El Niño and La Niña are the dominant influence on the Australian climate, and there is around a 50% chance of El Niño in 2023.
The outlook for the next three months looks to be drier than average.
- More information: environment.sa.gov.au.
Locals support locals. Your support helps Murray Bridge News tell important local stories – subscribe today.
