Annual quality assurance report on hydrometric data for the River Murray system: 2018–19 March 2020 Published by the Murray–Darling Basin Authority MDBA publication no: 12/20 GPO Box 1801, Canberra ACT 2601 1800 230 067 ISBN (online): 978-1-925762-79-2 [email protected] mdba.gov.au © Murray–Darling Basin Authority 2020 Please note that these reports were updated on 31 August 2020 to correct the report date on the front cover. All other report content remains the same. Ownership of intellectual property rights With the exception of the Commonwealth Coat of Arms, the MDBA logo, trademarks and any exempt photographs and graphics (these are identified), this publication is provided under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0) The Australian Government acting through the Murray–Darling Basin Authority has exercised due care and skill in preparing and compiling the information and data in this publication. Notwithstanding, the Murray–Darling Basin Authority, its employees and advisers disclaim all liability, including liability for negligence and for any loss, damage, injury, expense or cost incurred by any person as a result of accessing, using or relying upon any of the information or data in this publication to the maximum extent permitted by law. The Murray‒Darling Basin Authority’s preference is that you attribute this publication (and any Murray‒Darling Basin Authority material sourced from it) using the following wording within your work: Cataloguing data Title: Annual quality assurance report on hydrometric data for the River Murray system: 2018–19, Murray‒Darling Basin Authority Canberra, 2020. CC BY 4.0 Accessibility The Murray‒Darling Basin Authority makes its documents and information available in accessible formats. On some occasions the highly technical nature of the document means that we cannot make some sections fully accessible. If you encounter accessibility problems or the document is in a format that you cannot access, please contact us. Acknowledgement of the Traditional Owners of the Murray–Darling Basin The Murray−Darling Basin Authority pays respect to the Traditional Owners and their Nations of the Murray−Darling Basin. We acknowledge their deep cultural, social, environmental, spiritual and economic connection to their lands and waters. The guidance and support received from the Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations, the Northern Basin Aboriginal Nations and our many Traditional Owner friends and colleagues is very much valued and appreciated. Aboriginal people should be aware that this publication may contain images, names or quotations of deceased persons. Murray–Darling Basin Authority Annual quality assurance report on hydrometric data for the River Murray system: 2018–19 ii Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 1 Hydrometric monitoring program ........................................................................................................... 2 Monitoring Network ............................................................................................................................ 2 Hydrometric data quality ........................................................................................................................ 4 Hydrometric monitoring standards ..................................................................................................... 4 Internal quality assurance processes .................................................................................................. 4 Operational real-time data (telemetry data) .................................................................................. 5 Hydrographic data updates ............................................................................................................. 5 Gaugings and ratings ....................................................................................................................... 7 Hydrometric network review .................................................................................................................. 9 Recommendation 1 ......................................................................................................................... 9 Recommendation 2 ......................................................................................................................... 9 Recommendation 3 ......................................................................................................................... 9 Recommendation 4 ......................................................................................................................... 9 Public access to water data ................................................................................................................... 10 Future scope and areas for improvement ............................................................................................. 11 Appendix A: MDBA funded hydrometric stations ............................................................................. 12 Appendix Key ................................................................................................................................. 27 Murray–Darling Basin Authority Annual quality assurance report on hydrometric data for the River Murray system: 2018–19 iii Introduction Under clause 45 of the Murray–Darling Basin Agreement (the Agreement) the Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) is required to establish, maintain and operate an effective and uniform system to measure water quantity and quality within the River Murray System. This is specifically to support the MDBA’s function in relation to River Operations (see clause 30 of the Agreement). The MDBA achieves this with close collaboration and cooperation with the relevant agencies within the contracting governments of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia to install and maintain instrumentation to measure and record water quantity and quality information. This report is prepared in response to the requirements of the MDBA’s 2017 Compliance Review and the subsequent Murray-Darling Basin Compliance Compact, agreed by the Ministerial Council in 2018 which requires the MDBA to publish: “an annual quality assurance report on hydrometric data for the River Murray system, annually, by 31 December”. Murray–Darling Basin Authority Annual quality assurance report on hydrometric data for the River Murray system: 2018–19 1 Hydrometric monitoring program The current hydrometric monitoring network directly supports the following River Murray Operations functions of the MDBA: • operation of the River Murray system asset base including flood operations • operation and maintenance of environmental works built under the Agreement • implementing the sharing of River Murray waters as set out in the Agreement • ensuring the reliability of entitlement flows and allocations to the contracting governments of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia • management of River Murray unregulated flows to enhance environmental benefit • undertaking annual environmental watering actions within the River Murray System • long-term water resources planning and hydrologic modelling • salinity management through Basin Salinity Management 2030. The MDBA is committed to continuously improve and enhance the availability of timely and high- quality water data and it has a long history of funding the operation and maintenance of monitoring network across the southern Murray–Darling Basin. The expenditure on water monitoring program is approximately $3-4 million per annum and the Figure 1 below illustrates the MDBA’s investment in establishing and maintaining hydrometric monitoring stations since the early 1900s. MDBA’s water monitoring program is not designed to support compliance of consumptive water use on the River Murray System, however, where practical, supports the Sustainable Diversion Limit (SDL) Reporting and Compliance framework for the River Murray system. Figure 1: Number of monitoring stations funded by MDBA Monitoring Network State constructing authorities are responsible for undertaking the hydrometric monitoring program on MDBA’s behalf. In NSW, this is carried out by WaterNSW, in Victoria, by Goulburn-Murray Water Murray–Darling Basin Authority Annual quality assurance report on hydrometric data for the River Murray system: 2018–19 2 via the Victorian Water Monitoring Partnership and in South Australia, through the Department for Environment and Water. MDBA’s water monitoring network consist of approximately 265 monitoring stations distributed primarily in the River Murray and Lower Darling River system. Majority of these stations support multiple functions of the MDBA. Some monitoring stations may be operational during specific periods such as during a flood or during a specific environmental watering event. Table 1 below summarises the currently active monitoring sites in respective states. Table 1: Summary of current active monitoring sites by state Jurisdiction Number of stations New South Wales 102 Victoria 92 South Australia 71 Total 265 To ensure hydrometric measurements are reliable and accurate, monitoring stations are routinely visited by hydrographic staff to ensure the in-situ sensors are calibrated and the sensor measurements reflect the current conditions. Furthermore, data is also downloaded from the data loggers and or sensors and quality