Murrumbidgee River Efficiency Project

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the project about?

The Murrumbidgee River Efficiency Project aims to:

  • improve water delivery service and efficiency to users within the MurrumbidgeeRiver system;
  • generate water savings;
  • create increased farm productivity by more closely match irrigation delivery with crop water demand; and
  • improve the health of wetlands and the riparian environment of the river system.

Why is State Water undertaking the project?

As the NSW river operator, State Water is committed to improving the level of service it provides to its customers
and ensuring that water flows in the State’s rivers are managed as efficiently as possible. The Murrumbidgee
River Efficiency Project provides an opportunity for State Water to investigate and test new methods of water
measurement, flow prediction and monitoring with a view to extending this approach to all rivers under its
operational control.

How big is this project?

The Murrumbidgee River Efficiency Project covers the regulated sections of the MurrumbidgeeRiver down stream of
Burrinjuck and Blowering Dams, including important tributaries and anabranches such as the Yanco Creek system,
Bundidgerry Creek, Old Man Creek, Tarcutta Creek and the GoobragandraRiver. Project investigations are likely to
cost in the order of $5 million with implementation estimated at $50 million.

When will all this happen?

The project is currently in an investigation phase and this is expected to take until early  2010 to complete. If the
investigations identify positive project outcomes, including water savings, project implementation will begin at that
time and take several years to complete.

Who will pay for it?

The project is being funded by Water for Rivers.

Who is Water for Rivers?

Water for Rivers is a company set up by the NSW, Victorian and Commonwealth Governments to recover environmental
water for the Snowy and MurrayRivers. As part of the Snowy Hydro Corporatisation, there was a commitment given by
these three governments to invest $375million in the recovery of 282GL of water by June 2012. The Commonwealth
Government has since committed another $50 million to the company.  

 

Who will be involved?

The project is a partnership between State Water and Water for Rivers. Other NSW Government Agencies including the
Department of Energy and Water and the Department of Environment and Climate Change will also be involved. The
Murrumbidgee Customer Service Committee and water user groups and organizations such as Murrumbidgee Private
Irrigators, Murrumbidgee Irrigation and Coleambally Irrigation Cooperative Limited will be widely consulted as the
project develops.

There are so many partners in this project. How will it work?

The project is a large and complex one and needs to involve the river operator, State Water, the river manager, DWE and
other government agencies and water user organisations. A Project Steering Committee is convened by State Water to
oversee project investigations, development and implementation.

Why the Murrumbidgee River?

The Murrumbidgee River is one of the most important river systems in Australia. The Murrumbidgee Catchment is home to
half a million people and produces over one billion dollars worth of agricultural goods annually.

There is currently in the order of 300GL of losses which are not easily measured in the Murrumbidgee system. It is thought
that a significant proportion of these losses could be reclaimed through improvements in the way the system is measured,
operated and monitored.

An improvement in river system operation will benefit the river environment and water users. State of the art metering,
ordering and monitoring systems will give confidence that water is being used in an efficient and effective way.

What are some of the options for water efficiency and water savings?

Some of the options for water efficiency and savings include:

  • Investigating where regulated flows are being lost to breakouts, flood runners and wetlands and ways that these
     flows can be contained within the river system (wetlands works);
  • Investigating how evaporative losses can be reduced;
  • Identifying ways in which water flows and water use can be measured more accurately and in a more timely manner
    (real time gauging and metering);
  • Automating the release of water from dams based on information gained from real time metering, real time gauging,
    improved gauging of tributary inflows and more accurate measurement of water demand;
  • Introducing effective water ordering; 
  • Identifying operational system improvements (re-regulation and additional gauging); and
  • Developing a robust decision support system (model) to assist the river operator State Water to efficiently regulate
    the river flows.
 

What is water saving?

It is recognised that there is no “new water” to be created in the Murrumbidgee River system. All water is currently going
to an end use, whether intended or not. Part of the project investigations will involve identifying where water “losses” are
going, and in which of these areas can an intervention create a “saving”. Some examples of water savings include reducing
evaporative losses, reducing seepage and leakage to saline aquifers, and reducing unauthorized use and theft.

There are also examples where water losses are contributing to environmental damage, for example permanently flooding
wetlands. In these cases, a more suitable wetting and drying regime can create both water savings and positive local
environmental outcomes.

Who gets the water savings?

The project investigations and subsequent implementation is being funded by Water for Rivers in exchange for the return of
environmental flows to the Snowy and Murray Rivers.

Will this change the availability of water for licensed water users?

Water savings generated by the project will come from a reduction in system losses – currently water that is unavailable for
consumptive use or for the environment. The impact of any actions implemented as part of the project will be assessed,
particularly any impacts on other water users.

Depending on the scale of the savings and the cost of the project, there is potential to share some of the water savings
generated by Water for Rivers investment with the environment of the Murrumbidgee River and potential to improve security
of water supply to consumptive users.

Will there be a new meters installed?

New metering standards are being introduced nationally as part of the National Water initiative. As the majority of existing
meters in the Murrumbidgee system do not meet these standards this means that most meters will need to be replaced with
more accurate meters that do meet the new national standards.

Real time metering and monitoring is one of the options being investigated as part of the Murrumbidgee project. The
investigations will consider the new metering standards and look at ways that improved metering can facilitate more timely
delivery of water to users along the creeks and river system by delivering accurate information about water extraction in
real time to the river operators.

An improved method of water ordering and billing is also being investigated as part of the project. The aim is to provide
water users with a frequently updated record of water used and remaining balanced in their water accounts. It is also
possible to provide remote operation of extraction points using modern telemetry.

What is automated river operation?

Automation of river operations uses appropriate computer models to analyse storage levels, tributary inflows, real time
gauging data, real time water usage data and times of travel to more accurately match dam releases with water use demand
and water orders.

The computerised operation model will also use information on levels of soil moisture, meteorological data and areas of
crop established to better predict catchment runoff and water use demand.

This will result in the delivery of the correct amount of irrigation water to the right place on time with minimal wastage.
Less operational surpluses means more water held in the upper storages, less evaporative losses and more flexibility to
manage end of system flows and environmental releases.

What are operational system improvements?

The Murrumbidgee River Efficiency Project is considering all available options to store and release water as efficiently
as possible within the river system. The project will investigate options such as new on-route storages and reducing
evaporative or seepage losses by partitioning or lining existing on-route storages. 

Why are wetlands being included as part of the project?

Wetlands are an important natural feature of the Murrumbidgee River System, supporting a diverse range of plants and
animals and providing a vital role in the food and energy cycles of the creek.

Under natural flow conditions wetlands would expect to fill with water during high flow periods in the creeks and river,
usually in late winter and spring and dry out during the hotter, drier months of the year. This drying phase is important
to maintain the health of wetlands.

Under regulated flow conditions, water levels are kept high during the summer months and some wetlands are now
connected to the river for most of the year. This results in water losses from the surface of the wetland through
evaporation and reduces the timeliness and efficiency of deliver of irrigation water as extra water has to be supplied
to meet water use demand.

Permanent or semi-permanent inundation of wetlands has resulted in death of river red gums, reduction in aquatic plant
species diversity and an increased rate of weed invasion.

Water savings from wetlands can be achieved by constructing a series of small banks with regulators adjacent to the
main creek channel so that inflows can be controlled independently from water levels in the creek. The regulating
structures can be closed in the summer months to exclude regulated flow and opened during late winter and spring to
allow the wetlands to fill during natural periods of high flows.

Who do I contact for more information?

For more information on the Murrumbidgee River Efficiency Project contact:

Mano Manorathan
Senior Project Manager
State Water Corporation
36, Darling St, Dubbo
P: (02) 6841 2064
M: 0429 771 043
E: Mano.Manorathan@statewater.com.au