REGIONAL WATER USE

The MDB is made up of 26 river basins (see map 1.2 in Chapter 1). River basins have topographically-formed catchment boundaries, and have been used in previous Australian water use assessments, such as the 1985 Review of Australia's Water Resources and Water Use (AWRC 1987). Some organisations (e.g. Murray-Darling Basin Commission and Bureau of Rural Sciences) disseminate water data by river basin, for example, Water Audit Monitoring reports and National Landscape Water Balance reports and mapping.

The majority of agricultural water consumption in the MDB occurs in only a few river basins. In 2005-06, the ten river basins (of the 26) with the highest water consumption in the MDB accounted for 83% of MDB agricultural water consumption (table 3.23). This pattern reflects the distribution of specific irrigated crop and pasture areas throughout the MDB. The largest single contributing river basin is the Murrumbidgee, comprising 22% of the total MDB agricultural water consumption in 2005-06.

3.23 Agricultural water consumption in selected river basins—Murray-Darling Basin—2005-06
	Water consumption	Proportion of MDB
	GL	%
Murrumbidgee river	1 678	22
Murray-Riverina	946	12
Loddon river	681	9
Broken river	470	6
Goulburn river	464	6
Namoi river	456	6
Condamine-Culgoa rivers	441	6
Border rivers	433	6
Mallee	433	6
Lachlan river	380	5
Other MDB river basins	1 339	17
Murray-Darling Basin(a)	7 720	100
(a) Components may not add to total due to rounding
Source: ABS data available on request, Agricultural Census, 2005-06

Irrigated agricultural activities, and resulting water consumption, vary across different regions in the MDB. The following sections examine regions of the MDB that have high water consumption.


Southern New South Wales region of the MDB

In 2005-06 in the Murrumbidgee river basin, rice consumed the most water (45% of total agricultural water consumption), followed by other cereals (21%) and pasture for other livestock (15%). This pattern was similar in the Murray-Riverina basin where rice consumed the most water (43%). Pasture for other livestock (27%) and dairy farming (14%) were also significant agricultural water users (table 3.24) in this river basin.

3.24 Water consumption, by agricultural commodity—selected southern New South Wales river basins—2005-06
	Murrumbidgee		Murray-Riverina
	Volume	Proportion of total Agriculture	Volume	Proportion of total Agriculture
	GL	%	GL	%
Dairy farming(a)	10	1	135	14
Pasture for other livestock(b)	244	15	256	27
Rice	762	45	407	43
Cereals (excl. rice)	345	21	107	11
Grapes	93	6	6	1
Fruit (excl. grapes)	60	4	9	1
Vegetables	31	2	7	1
Other agriculture(c)	133	7	19	2
Total Agriculture(d)	1 678	100	946	100
(a) Includes: irrigated pasture for grazing, hay and seed; livestock drinking; and, shed washdown.
(b) Includes irrigated pasture for grazing, hay and seed.
(c) Includes cotton, other broadacre crops, nurseries, livestock (other than dairy) drinking.
(d) Components may not add to total due to rounding.
Source: ABS data available on request, Agricultural Census, 2005–06

Northern Victorian region of the MDB

In 2005-06, in the Victorian section of the southern MDB, dairy farming consumed the most water (53% to 65% of total agricultural water consumption in the Loddon, Broken, Goulburn and Campaspe river basins), followed by pasture for other livestock (21% to 32%, table 3.25).

3.25 Water consumption, by agricultural commodity—selected northern Victorian river basins—2005-06
	Loddon		Broken		Goulburn		Campaspe
	Volume	Proportion of total Agriculture	Volume	Proportion of total Agriculture	Volume	Proportion of total Agriculture	Volume	Proportion of total Agriculture
	GL	%	GL	%	GL	%	GL	%
Dairy farming(a)	360	53	287	61	300	65	78	58
Pasture for other livestock(b)	220	32	124	26	98	21	33	24
Cereals (excl. rice)	46	7	12	2	9	2	7	5
Grapes	2	-	1	-	5	1	1	1
Fruit (excl. grapes)	23	3	37	8	20	4	1	1
Vegetables	9	1	1	-	8	2	8	6
Other agriculture(c)	21	3	9	2	24	5	6	4
Total Agriculture(d)	681	100	470	100	464	100	134	100
- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)
(a) Includes: irrigated pasture for grazing, hay and seed; livestock drinking; and shed washdown.
(b) Includes irrigated pasture for grazing, hay and seed.
(c) Includes rice, other broadacre crops, nurseries, livestock (other than dairy) drinking.
(d) Components may not add to total due to rounding.
Source: ABS data available on request, Agricultural Census, 2005–06

South western Murray-Darling Basin

In 2005-06, in the Mallee and Lower Murray river basins (located in the 'Riverland' region of South Australia and north west Victoria), horticultural crops were the major water users. Grapes (50% and 39% respectively of total agricultural water consumption), fruit (31% and 18%) and dairy farming (3% and 17%) accounted for the majority of water consumption (table 3.26).

3.26 Water consumption, by agricultural commodity—selected lower Murray-Darling river basins—2005-06
	Mallee		Lower Murray River
	Volume	Proportion of total Agriculture	Volume	Proportion of total Agriculture
	GL	%	GL	%
Dairy farming(a)	15	3	39	17
Pasture for other livestock(b)	14	3	23	11
Cereals (excl. rice)	3	1	3	2
Grapes	218	50	81	39
Fruit (excl. grapes)	133	31	39	18
Vegetables	38	9	14	7
Other agriculture(c)	11	2	12	6
Total Agriculture(d)	433	100	211	100
(a) Includes: irrigated pasture for grazing, hay and seed; livestock drinking; and, shed washdown.
(b) Includes irrigated pasture for grazing, hay and seed.
(c) Includes other broadacre crops, nurseries, livestock (other than dairy) drinking, and piggery washdown.
(d) Components may not add to total due to rounding.
Source: ABS data available on request, Agricultural Census, 2005–06

Northern Murray-Darling Basin

In the northern MDB, cotton was the predominant agricultural water user in 2005-06. Cotton consumed the most agricultural water in the Border Rivers (81% of total agricultural water consumption), Condamine-Culgoa (63%), Gwydir (87%), and Namoi (74%) river basins. Water was also used to a limited degree for irrigating cereals other than rice, mainly in the Condamine-Culgoa (14%), Namoi (10%) and Border Rivers (5%) basins (table 3.27).

3.27 Water consumption, by agricultural commodity—selected northern Murray-Darling river basins—2005-06
	Namoi		Condamine-Culgoa		Border Rivers		Gwydir
	Volume	Proportion of total Agriculture	Volume	Proportion of total Agriculture	Volume	Proportion of total Agriculture	Volume	Proportion of total Agriculture
	GL	%	GL	%	GL	%	GL	%
Dairy farming(a)	7	2	9	2	np	-	np	-
Pasture for other livestock(b)	35	8	34	8	26	6	np	np
Cereals (excl. rice)	47	10	62	14	23	5	11	3
Cotton	337	74	278	63	351	81	276	87
Grapes	np	-	2	-	np	-	np	-
Fruit (excl. grapes)	-	-	3	1	5	1	np	np
Vegetables	np	-	5	1	5	1	np	-
Other agriculture(c)	30	7	48	11	23	5	11	5
Total Agriculture(d)	456	100	441	100	433	100	317	100
- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)
np not available for publication but included in totals where applicable, unless otherwise indicated
(a) Includes: irrigated pasture for grazing, hay and seed; livestock drinking; and, shed washdown.
(b) Includes irrigated pasture for grazing, hay and seed.
(c) Includes other broadacre crops, nurseries, livestock (other than dairy) drinking.
(d) Components may not add to total due to rounding.
Source: ABS data available on request, Agricultural Census, 2005-06

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