Mount Bold Reservoir

In reply to Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (1 August 2016) (Estimates Committee B)

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change): The Minister for Water and the River Murray has received the following advice:

At any given time the proportion of pumped water versus natural inflow water held in any reservoir depends on rainfall, natural inflow from groundwater and rainfall response and pumping programs which are set to minimise power costs while maintaining minimum emergency storage levels. By way of example:

From 1 July 2016 to 1 August 2016, the total inflow into Mount Bold storage was 26.64 GL. All of that 26.64 GL was natural inflow and no inflow was pumped from the River Murray. In the same period 5.4 GL was extracted for consumption.

In comparison, from 1 July 2015 to 1 August 2015, the total inflow into Mount Bold storage was 7.57 GL. Of that 5.22 GL was natural inflow and 2.35 GL (or 31 per cent of total inflow) was pumped from the River Murray. In the same period 4.62 GL was extracted for consumption.