Database of environmental watering actions in the Murray-Darling Basin
I compiled a database of all environmental watering actions in the Murray–Darling Basin by Commonwealth and Basin state and territory agencies from 2008-09 to 2024-25. The main source of data from 2013-14 was the reports of environmental watering actions, required of CEWH, MDBA and the Basin states and territory under Schedule 12, Item 9.3 of the Basin Plan (Matter 9.3 reports) (cf. MDBA 2025a).
I cross-referenced these data against annual water take reports (e.g. MDBA 2024b). Additional sources were: 1) CEWH. 2008-09 to 2012-13: annual reports (e.g. CEWH 2013); 2014-15 to 2018-19: Long-term Intervention Monitoring (LTIM) synthesis reports (e.g. Hale et al. 2020); 2) New South Wales. 2009-10 to 2016-17: Office of Environment and Heritage annual reports (e.g. NSW OEH 2018); 2019-20 to 2024-25: online reports by NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (NSW DPIE, now NSW DCCEEW) (e.g. NSW DCCEEW 2025a); 3) Victoria. 2008-09 to 2010-11: Victorian water accounts (e.g. DSE 2010); 2011-12 to 2024-25: annual ‘Reflections’ reports of the Victorian Environmental Water Holder (e.g. VEWH 2019); 4) South Australia. 2009-10 to 2024-25: annual environmental watering reports (e.g. DEW 2020).
In South Australia and Victoria the annual volume considered to constitute PEW is not provided in Matter 9.3 reports and, accordingly, we have not included PEW from these states in the database. Queensland only publishes its Matter 9.3 report. The Australian Capital Territory only publishes a Schedule 12 combined report detailing PEW releases from Corin, Bendora, Cotter and Googong dams (e.g. ACT Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate 2019).
References
ACT Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate (2019) Australian Capital Territory 2018-19 Basin Plan annual report. Murray–Darling Basin Authority, Canberra. Available at: https://www.mdba.gov.au/sites/default/files/publications/2018-19-Basin-Plan-Statement%20of%20Assurance-ACT.pdf [accessed 23 May 2026]
CEWH (2013) Annual report 2012-13 Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder. Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, Canberra. Available at: https://www.agriculture.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/cew-annual-report-2012-13.docx [accessed 13 May 2026]
DEW (2020) South Australian River Murray Water for the Environment Report 2018-19. Department for Environment and Water, Adelaide. https://cdn.environment.sa.gov.au/environment/docs/river-murray-annual-environmental-watering-2018-19-rep.pdf [accessed 13 May 2026]
DSE (2010) Victorian water accounts 2008-2009. A statement of Victorian water resources. Department of Sustainability and Environment, Melbourne. Available at: https://assets.accounts.water.vic.gov.au/assets/2021-22/Victorian-Water-Accounts-2008-2009.pdf [accessed 28 June 2026]
Hale, J., Bond, N., Brooks, S., Capon, S., Grace, M., Guarino, F., James, C., King, A., McPhan, L., Mynott, J., Stewardson, M., and Thurgate, N. (2020) 2018–19 Basin-scale evaluation of Commonwealth environmental water – synthesis report. La Trobe University, Wodonga. https://www.agriculture.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2018-19-basin-evaluation-synthesis-report.pdf [accessed 13 May 2026]
MDBA (2025a) Basin Plan Implementation Reports 2024–25. Murray–Darling Basin Authority, Canberra. Available at: https://www.mdba.gov.au/publications-and-data/publications/basin-plan-implementation-reports-2024-25 [accessed 13 May 2026]
MDBA (2024b) Annual water take report 2022-23. Murray–Darling Basin Authority, Canberra. Available at: https://www.mdba.gov.au/sites/default/files/publications/annual-water-take-report-2022-23_1.pdf [accessed 23 May 2026]
NSW DCCEEW (2025a) Environmental water deliveries in NSW. New South Wales Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Sydney. Available at: https://www.water.dpie.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-12/environmental-water-deliveries-nsw-dec-2025.pdf [accessed 2 June 2026]
NSW OEH (2018) Use of water for the environment in NSW: outcomes 2016-17. New South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage, Sydney. Available at: https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/publications/use-of-water-for-the-environment-in-nsw-outcomes-2016-17 [accessed 20 June 2026]
VEWH (2019) Reflections. Water for the environment in Victoria 2018-19. Victorian Environmental Water Holder, Melbourne. Available at: https://web.archive.org/web/20200324054538/https://vewh.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/515783/VEWH-Reflections-2018-19_web_REV.pdf [accessed 4 June 2026]
Type
collection
Title
Database of environmental watering actions in the Murray-Darling Basin
Collection Type
Dataset
Access Privileges
Fenner School of Environment & Society
DOI - Digital Object Identifier
10.25911/9851-9q56
Metadata Language
English
Data Language
English
Significance Statement
This is a database of all environmental watering actions in the Murray–Darling Basin by Commonwealth and Basin state and territory agencies from 2008-09 to 2024-25.
Full Description
I compiled a database of all environmental watering actions in the Murray–Darling Basin by Commonwealth and Basin state and territory agencies from 2008-09 to 2024-25. The main source of data from 2013-14 was the reports of environmental watering actions, required of CEWH, MDBA and the Basin states and territory under Schedule 12, Item 9.3 of the Basin Plan (Matter 9.3 reports) (cf. MDBA 2025a).
I cross-referenced these data against annual water take reports (e.g. MDBA 2024b). Additional sources were: 1) CEWH. 2008-09 to 2012-13: annual reports (e.g. CEWH 2013); 2014-15 to 2018-19: Long-term Intervention Monitoring (LTIM) synthesis reports (e.g. Hale et al. 2020); 2) New South Wales. 2009-10 to 2016-17: Office of Environment and Heritage annual reports (e.g. NSW OEH 2018); 2019-20 to 2024-25: online reports by NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (NSW DPIE, now NSW DCCEEW) (e.g. NSW DCCEEW 2025a); 3) Victoria. 2008-09 to 2010-11: Victorian water accounts (e.g. DSE 2010); 2011-12 to 2024-25: annual ‘Reflections’ reports of the Victorian Environmental Water Holder (e.g. VEWH 2019); 4) South Australia. 2009-10 to 2024-25: annual environmental watering reports (e.g. DEW 2020).
In South Australia and Victoria the annual volume considered to constitute PEW is not provided in Matter 9.3 reports and, accordingly, we have not included PEW from these states in the database. Queensland only publishes its Matter 9.3 report. The Australian Capital Territory only publishes a Schedule 12 combined report detailing PEW releases from Corin, Bendora, Cotter and Googong dams (e.g. ACT Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate 2019).
References
ACT Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate (2019) Australian Capital Territory 2018-19 Basin Plan annual report. Murray–Darling Basin Authority, Canberra. Available at: https://www.mdba.gov.au/sites/default/files/publications/2018-19-Basin-Plan-Statement%20of%20Assurance-ACT.pdf [accessed 23 May 2026]
CEWH (2013) Annual report 2012-13 Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder. Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, Canberra. Available at: https://www.agriculture.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/cew-annual-report-2012-13.docx [accessed 13 May 2026]
DEW (2020) South Australian River Murray Water for the Environment Report 2018-19. Department for Environment and Water, Adelaide. https://cdn.environment.sa.gov.au/environment/docs/river-murray-annual-environmental-watering-2018-19-rep.pdf [accessed 13 May 2026]
DSE (2010) Victorian water accounts 2008-2009. A statement of Victorian water resources. Department of Sustainability and Environment, Melbourne. Available at: https://assets.accounts.water.vic.gov.au/assets/2021-22/Victorian-Water-Accounts-2008-2009.pdf [accessed 28 June 2026]
Hale, J., Bond, N., Brooks, S., Capon, S., Grace, M., Guarino, F., James, C., King, A., McPhan, L., Mynott, J., Stewardson, M., and Thurgate, N. (2020) 2018–19 Basin-scale evaluation of Commonwealth environmental water – synthesis report. La Trobe University, Wodonga. https://www.agriculture.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2018-19-basin-evaluation-synthesis-report.pdf [accessed 13 May 2026]
MDBA (2025a) Basin Plan Implementation Reports 2024–25. Murray–Darling Basin Authority, Canberra. Available at: https://www.mdba.gov.au/publications-and-data/publications/basin-plan-implementation-reports-2024-25 [accessed 13 May 2026]
MDBA (2024b) Annual water take report 2022-23. Murray–Darling Basin Authority, Canberra. Available at: https://www.mdba.gov.au/sites/default/files/publications/annual-water-take-report-2022-23_1.pdf [accessed 23 May 2026]
NSW DCCEEW (2025a) Environmental water deliveries in NSW. New South Wales Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Sydney. Available at: https://www.water.dpie.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-12/environmental-water-deliveries-nsw-dec-2025.pdf [accessed 2 June 2026]
NSW OEH (2018) Use of water for the environment in NSW: outcomes 2016-17. New South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage, Sydney. Available at: https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/publications/use-of-water-for-the-environment-in-nsw-outcomes-2016-17 [accessed 20 June 2026]
VEWH (2019) Reflections. Water for the environment in Victoria 2018-19. Victorian Environmental Water Holder, Melbourne. Available at: https://web.archive.org/web/20200324054538/https://vewh.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/515783/VEWH-Reflections-2018-19_web_REV.pdf [accessed 4 June 2026]
Contact Email
matthew.colloff@anu.edu.au
Contact Address
Fenner School of Environment & Society, ANU
Contact Phone Number
0458683231
Principal Investigator
Matthew Colloff
Fields of Research
410404 - Environmental management
Socio-Economic Objective
280111 - Expanding knowledge in the environmental sciences
Date Coverage
2008
2025
Date of data creation
2026
Year of data publication
2026
Creator(s) for Citation
Matthew
Colloff
Publisher for Citation
The Australian National University Data Commons
Access Rights
Open Access allowed
Access Rights Type
Open
Rights held in and over the data
CC BY
Licence Type
CC-BY - Attribution
Retention Period
Indefinitely
Data Size
275 KB
Data Management Plan
No
Status: Published
Published to:
Published to:
- Australian National University
- Australian National Data Service
Related items
- hasAssociationWith:
Dr. Matthew Colloff [anudc:6336]