Allocations | Murray–Darling Basin Authority

Flows in the River Murray system vary widely depending on a range of factors, including rainfall, inflows, evaporation and demand for water. We summarise this information each month in the below reports. This page is an archive of reports for previous months.

MDBA report

Allocations

Published date: 29 October 2022

Water delivery shortfalls are rare but occur when available water cannot be delivered to users when they want it. For example, it could happen because demand exceeds the physical capacity of rivers and channels to carry the water, or when demands for water unexpectedly spike and there's not enough time to release additional water from dams to meet the demand.

Independent report

Allocations

Published date: 25 June 2022

Over recent years there have been significant changes on the River Murray, including expansion of permanent horticulture, recovery of water for the environment, increased trade and reduced channel capacity through the Barmah–Millewa forest. These changes have resulted in concerns that the river system will not be able to deliver water allocation to users when they need it.

Independent report

Allocations

Central Murray

Published date: 16 June 2021

The Australian Government is working with the New South Wales and Queensland governments to implement a suite of water management tools – the Northern Basin Toolkit.

Independent report

Allocations

Published date: 31 July 2022

The Murray–Darling Basin has a highly variable climate, with conditions differing each year and across regions. Planning for wet and dry conditions is a major challenge for river operators, water resource managers and the community.

Allocations

Last updated: 4 April 2025

The Murray–Darling Basin Agreement is a long-standing arrangement that aims to share water in the southern Basin. It outlines the rules for the way the River Murray is managed and operated.

Allocations

Governance

Last updated: 31 March 2025

Published: 26 May 2021

A positive opening balance means water will be available to be traded in the River Murray from above the Barmah Choke to below the choke on 1 July 2021.

Allocations

Media release

Water across the southern-connected Basin is managed. This means flows in the River Murray are controlled to some extent to ensure water is stored and delivered when and where it’s needed. The term used to describe the management of water in this way is 'regulated'.

Allocations