MDBA Senior Director of River Operations, Tom Zouch, said the update reflects conditions to the end of October 2025 and outlines how the MDBA is preparing to manage water delivery across the southern Basin this summer and for the remainder of the water year.
"Since the 2025-26 AOO was published in August, inflows to the River Murray System have been similar to the dry scenario while inflows to the Menindee Lakes have been above the wet scenario presented in the original report," Mr Zouch said.
"This update outlines the likely transfers from upstream storages to manage the system this year."
The AOO identifies a range of operating scenarios from dry to wet. The MDBA will continue to monitor conditions, and if it remains dry, we will manage storage volumes to conserve water and meet demands this water year.
"At the beginning of December, the Menindee Lakes were at 69 percent capacity (1201 gigalitres) compared to 42.9 percent at the same time last year."
With inflows receding across the northern Basin, the MDBA is balancing operations at the Menindee Lakes in partnership with Basin states. MDBA can access water until lake levels fall to 480 gigalitres, at which point the MDBA is no longer able to call on water for use in the River Murray.
The MDBA continues to operate in close partnership with NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) and WaterNSW to mitigate water quality and water security risks at Menindee and the lower Darling-Baaka.
Storages in the River Murray System at the beginning of December were sitting in a good position with Hume Dam at 43 percent (1,280 gigalitres), Dartmouth Dam at 74 percent (2,850 gigalitres) and Lake Victoria at 90% (607 gigalitres)
The updated AOO confirmed that delivery risks remain low this summer, with sufficient water being held in Lake Victoria to manage deliveries to South Australia and options available to manage the risk of delivery shortfalls downstream of Barmah.
