SHOALHAVEN RIVER

River Basin Summary

Population (2006):1 55,853

Major Towns:1 Nowra, Culburra
2
Major Rivers: Shoalhaven River, Mongarlowe River, Ettrema Creek

Surface Water Storages:2, 3, 4

Largest known storages: Tallowa, Fitzroy Falls
Reservoir
No. of storages: 20
Storage capacity (ML): >124,758

Licensed Irrigation:
Largest areas:3 None
5
Number of licenses: n/a
Average annual allocation (ML):
Since 1996-97: n/a
Minimum: n/a
Maximum: n/a
Average annual diversion (ML):
Since 1996-97: n/a
Minimum: n/a
Maximum: n/a

Groundwater:
Number of production bores:7 491
8
Recharge rate (mm/year): Data being compiled
8
Yield (ML/year): Data being compiled
7
Extraction (ML/year): Data being compiled

Rainfall Reliability:
Chance of receiving average seasonal rainfall:8 Low (4 to 4.5 yrs in 10)

1
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2006); 2 Geosciences Australia (1999); 3 National Land and Water Resources Audit (2000); 4 Australian National
Committee on Large Dams (2004); 5 Australian National Committee - International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (2005); 6 Murray Darling
Basin Commission (2005); 7 State Agencies (2006); 8 Bureau of Rural Sciences (2007); x Incomplete

n/a = Not available

 SHOALHAVEN RIVER
Modelled Annual Water Balance
Land Use Type Area Precipitation Runoff ET (ML) Deep drainage Irrigation Return flow
(sqkm) (ML) (ML) (ML) (ML) (ML)
Closed Forest 185 245,446 59,818 181,871 3,757 0 0
Open Forest 4,525 4,583,130 642,150 3,868,935 72,046 0 0
Plantation 124 101,308 4,686 94,867 1,755 0 0
Woodland 166 150,625 22,595 125,554 2,476 0 0
Woody Pasture 315 379,411 104,672 268,810 5,929 0 0
Shrubby Pasture 52 56,358 13,427 42,046 885 0 0
Pasture 1,686 1,613,155 376,580 1,211,587 24,988 0 0
Irrigated Pasture 10 12,766 3,748 8,832 187 2,615 77
Winter Crops 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Summer / Fodder Crops 3 2,613 371 2,113 129 0 0
Irrigated Crops 2 2,364 519 1,742 104 551 24
Sugarcane 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Irrigated Sugarcane 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Cotton 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Irrigated Cotton 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Horticulture 15 17,866 3,608 13,985 274 0 0
Irrigated Horticulture 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Bare Ground 9 9,545 3,015 6,381 149 0 0
Intensive Use 32 36,772 10,857 25,361 555 0 0
Water 61 68,808 21,734 46,040 1,034 0 0
Entire Basin 7,202 7,303,160 1,267,779 5,921,115 114,265 3,166 101
NLWRA1 7,235 n/a 1,560,000 n/a n/a 6,817 n/a
2
AWRC 7,300 n/a 1,850,000 n/a n/a n/a n/a

Data Sources: Land use data sourced from the Bureau of Rural Sciences. Precipitation data sourced from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. All
other data derived from the Bureau of Rural Sciences' steady-state annual water balance model.
1
National Land and Water Resources Audit (2000); 2Australian Water Resource Council (1987); n/a = Not available
 SHOALHAVEN RIVER
Average Annual Water Resource Summary (GL)

Water Supply Seasonal Climate Variability

1
Runoff: 1,268 Potential Evapotranspiration Precipitation
1, 2
Transfers: 0
Groundwater Sustainable 150
Yield:3 92
Total: 1,360

Millimeters
100

Water Use
Irrigation:1 3 50
1
Residential: 5
Commercial/Industrial:#, 3 1
#, 3 0
Rural (Stock/Domestic): 2 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1, 2
Transfers: 16
Total: 27
Water Use

Total Use (% of Supply): 2%

Transfers 60%

Residential 17%
River Flows
Irrigated Pasture 10%
Retained in Storage:~ 6
Rural 7%
Environmental Flows: Data being
Commercial/Industrial 5%
compiled
Irrigated Crops 2%
Transmission Losses:^ 317
Return Flows:1 3
Outflow:@ 922

1
Bureau of Rural Sciences (2007); 2Australian Water Resource Council (1987); 3National Land and Water Resources Audit (2000)
#
Groundwater only; *Surface water only; ~5% of total storage; ^25% of runoff; xincomplete
@
Surface water (supply - use - retention in storage - transmission losses + environmental flows + return flows)

n/a = Not available