Water Resources and Management Overview Border Rivers Catchment
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Water resources and management overview Border Rivers Catchment www.water.nsw.gov.au Publisher NSW Department of Primary Industries, Office of Water. Level 18, 227 Elizabeth Street GPO Box 3889 Sydney NSW 2001 T 02 8281 7777 F 02 8281 7799 [email protected] www.water.nsw.gov.au The NSW Office of Water manages the policy and regulatory frameworks for the state’s surface water and groundwater resources, to provide a secure and sustainable water supply for all users. It also supports water utilities in the provision of water and sewerage services throughout New South Wales. Water resource and management overview: Border Rivers Catchment April 2012 ISBN 978 0 7313 3509 1 This report may be cited as: Green D., Ali A., Petrovic J., Burrell M., Moss P. (2012) Water resource and management overview: Border Rivers Catchment, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Sydney Cover photo: Boobera Lagoon (courtesy MDBA, Arthur Mostead) © State of New South Wales through the NSW Department of Trade and Investment, Regional Infrastructure and Services, 2012 This material may be reproduced in whole or in part for educational and non-commercial use, providing the meaning is unchanged and its source, publisher and authorship are clearly and correctly acknowledged. Disclaimer: While every reasonable effort has been made to ensure that this document is correct at the time of publication, the State of New South Wales, its agents and employees, disclaim any and all liability to any person in respect of anything or the consequences of anything done or omitted to be done in reliance upon the whole or any part of this document. NOW 12_050 Water resources and management overview - Borders River catchment Contents 1 The Border Rivers catchment ....................................................................................................... 1 2 Climate .......................................................................................................................................... 3 2.1 Rainfall ................................................................................................................................ 3 2.2 Evaporation......................................................................................................................... 4 3 Land use........................................................................................................................................ 5 4 Environment .................................................................................................................................. 7 4.1 Native vegetation ................................................................................................................ 7 4.2 Parks and reserves ............................................................................................................. 7 4.3 Wetlands ............................................................................................................................. 8 4.4 Significant biodiversity ........................................................................................................9 5 Surface water .............................................................................................................................. 10 5.1 Dumaresq River ................................................................................................................ 10 5.2 Severn River ..................................................................................................................... 10 5.3 Macintyre River .................................................................................................................10 5.4 Weir River ......................................................................................................................... 11 5.5 Barwon River..................................................................................................................... 11 5.6 Streamflow characteristics ................................................................................................ 11 6 Groundwater................................................................................................................................ 15 7 River operations and management ............................................................................................. 16 7.1 Border Rivers Commission ............................................................................................... 16 7.2 Border Rivers Intergovernmental Agreement ................................................................... 16 7.3 Major storages and regulating structures ......................................................................... 16 7.4 Licensed water use ........................................................................................................... 18 Surface water.................................................................................................................... 18 Groundwater .....................................................................................................................20 7.5 Water sharing plans .......................................................................................................... 21 Surface water sharing plans ............................................................................................. 21 Groundwater sharing plans in the NSW Border Rivers .................................................... 22 Plans in preparation .......................................................................................................... 24 8 References .................................................................................................................................. 25 i | NSW Department of Primary Industries, NSW Office of Water, April 2012 Water resources and management overview - Borders River catchment Tables Table 1: Land use types in the Border Rivers catchment ..................................................................... 5 Table 2: Threatened aquatic species of the Border Rivers catchment ................................................. 9 Table 3: Mean daily flow for selected Border Rivers gauges.............................................................. 11 Table 4: Major water storages in the Border Rivers catchment .......................................................... 17 Table 5: Surface water share components in the Border Rivers catchment as at 30 June 2011................................................................................................................................... 19 Table 6: Groundwater entitlements in the Border Rivers catchment as of December 2011............... 20 Figures Figure 1: The Border Rivers catchment ................................................................................................ 1 Figure 2: Topography and elevation in the NSW Border Rivers catchment ......................................... 2 Figure 3: Average annual rainfall in the NSW Border Rivers catchment .............................................. 3 Figure 4: Average monthly rainfall at Inverell 1949-2010...................................................................... 4 Figure 5: Average daily evaporation at Inverell 1965-2010................................................................... 4 Figure 6: Land use in the NSW Border Rivers catchment .................................................................... 6 Figure 7: Annual flow in the Macintyre River at Wallangra 1937-2011 ............................................... 12 Figure 8: Daily flows and cumulative deviation from the mean for Macintyre River at Wallangra........................................................................................................................... 14 Figure 9: Groundwater Management Areas in the Border Rivers catchment ..................................... 15 ii | NSW Department of Primary Industries, NSW Office of Water, April 2012 Water resources and management overview - Borders River catchment 1 The Border Rivers catchment The Border Rivers comprise the catchments of the Dumaresq, Severn, Macintyre and Barwon Rivers which drain from the Great Dividing Range between Inverell in far northern New South Wales (NSW) and Warrenbayne in Southern Queensland (Figure 1). The catchment occupies an area of approximately 49,500 km2 of which approximately 24,500 km2 is situated within NSW. The Dumaresq River, Macintyre River and part of the Barwon River downstream of the Weir River form the border between NSW and Queensland for approximately 470 km. ( The Border Rivers are regulated by three dams – Glenlyon Dam on Pikes Creek (QLD), Coolmunda Dam on Macintyre Brook (QLD), and Pindari Dam on the Severn River (NSW). The main tributaries draining from Queensland are Pikes Creek and Macintyre Brook which enter the Dumaresq River, and the Weir River which enters the Macintyre River. The lower end of the catchment is characterised by a complex series of anabranching channels. The junction of the Weir and Macintyre Rivers marks the start of the Barwon River, and the town of Mungundi on the Barwon River marks the downstream end of the Border Rivers catchment. The Border Rivers flows through lands previously occupied by the Kamilaroi and Bigambul Aboriginal people. The catchment supports a population of around 50,000 people. In NSW the population is concentrated in the major centres of Glen Innes, Inverell, and Tenterfield which support around 30,000 people between the three local government