AWRA North Western Plateau Assessment 2010

This assessment and related data examines water resources in the North Western Plateau region in 2009–10 and over recent decades. Seasonal variability and trends in modelled water flows, stores and levels are considered at the regional level. Details for selected rivers, wetlands, groundwater, urban areas and agriculture are not addressed. At the time of writing, suitable quality controlled and assured information was not identified in the Australian Water Resources Information System (Bureau of Meteorology 2011a). It begins with an overview of key data and information on water flows in the region in recent times followed by a description of the region.
Key data and information
The assessment presents the 2009–10 annual landscape water flows in the North Western Plateau region (no information is available for major storages in the region). Only the most western and northern parts of the region were assessed due to model data limitations in the central Plateau that prevent a comprehensive assessment of regional totals. Hence, the regional totals given in Figure 12-1 should be treated with caution. Regional rainfall and evapotranspiration totals for 2009–10 were approximately average. Very high rainfall in December 2009 generated a significant response in modelled landscape water yield1  totals, which contributed greatly to the above average annual total.