1.5.1.1.3 Gauged inflows and outflows in the Hunter river basin


Inflows to the Hunter subregion include water released from the major storages and natural inflows from unregulated tributaries. The locations of operating streamflow gauges are shown in Figure 3. Many minor tributaries have never been gauged or have had gauging stations that are now closed.

Table 4 summarises stream inflows, dam outflows and the difference between inflows and outflows for Glenbawn and Glennies Creek dams from 1990–91 to 2011–12 based on the NSW Office of Water Integrated Quantity and Quality Model (IQQM) calibrations (Simons et al., 1996; NSW Office of Water, Dataset 6).

Table 4 Modelled annual inflows and outflows for Glenbawn and Glennies Creek dams, using IQQM model calibrations for the Hunter subregion


Glenbawn Dam

Glennies Creek Dam

Inflows (GL/y)

Outflows (GL/y)

Difference (GL/y)

Inflows (GL/y)

Outflows (GL/y)

Difference (GL/y)

1990–91

261.9

269

–7.1

26.7

34.1

–7.4

1991–92

78

84.1

–6.1

20

44.9

–24.9

1992–93

73.7

90.6

–16.9

22

38.8

–16.8

1993–94

70.3

103.9

–33.6

22.4

40.3

–17.9

1994–95

58.1

141

–82.9

42.2

57.3

–15.1

1995–96

121.4

93.4

28

38.8

34.5

4.3

1996–97

107.5

86.9

20.6

25.6

33.8

–8.2

1997–98

54.4

201.1

–146.7

31.6

46.4

–14.8

1998–99

313.8

39.9

273.9

75.7

27.2

48.5

1999–00

157

51

106

86.7

25.9

60.8

2000–01

288.1

149.8

138.3

81.6

24

57.6

2001–02

148.8

216

–67.2

13.7

34.9

–21.2

2002–03

62.9

109.3

–46.4

23.3

62.6

–39.3

2003–04

83.1

124.6

–41.5

15.9

42.4

–26.5

2004–05

83

163.1

–80.1

21.5

37.8

–16.3

2005–06

73.1

173.6

–100.5

12.2

35.3

–23.1

2006–07

63.2

194.2

–131

31.2

16.8

14.4

2007–08

192.3

24.3

168

87.7

16.1

71.6

2008–09

204.3

77.7

126.6

70.2

29.9

40.3

2009–10

81.4

127.8

–46.4

21.5

50

–28.5

2010–11

285.8

75.7

210.1

68.2

21.6

46.6

2011–12

172.1

61

111.1

56.2

18.1

38.1

Mean

137.9

120.8

17.1

40.7

35.1

5.6

IQQM = Integrated Quantity and Quality Model; values based on 2004 Water Sharing Plan with 2012 conditions

Data: NSW Office of Water (Dataset 6)

Annual inflows between 2005 and 2012 for tributaries to the Hunter are summarised in Table 5 . Major contributors to annual inflows include the Goulburn River (gauging station number 210031), the upper Hunter River (210018), Wollombi Brook (210004), Paterson River (210079) and Williams River (210010). Annual inflows varied considerably from very low totals during the dry years of the Millennium Drought to the higher yields in 2010–11 and 2011–12 when good rainfall ended the drought. The total mean annual flow across these gauging stations for 2004–05 to 2011–12 was 1135 GL/year.

Table 5 Annual inflows for Hunter river basin tributary streams


Gauging station name

Gauging station number

Mean annual streamflow (GL/y)

2004–05

2005–06

2006–07

2007–08

2008–09

2009–10

2010–11

2011–12

Mean

Wybong Creek at Wybong

210040

0.3

0.4

16.8

21.7

25.8

3.7

29.7

42.1

17.6

Goulburn River at Sandy Hollow

210031

11.1

23.0

273.5

91.2

76.9

22.7

434.4

293.8

153.3

Pages River at Gundy Recorder

210052

16.7

17.5

13.5

52.2

38.2

10.1

83.2

69.5

37.6

Kingdon Ponds Creek at Nr. Parkville

210093

0.5

0.0

3.1

11.7

4.4

1.1

8.9

10.5

5.0

Rouchel Brook at Rouchel Brook

210014

13.8

NA

NA

78.1

65.8

15.2

101.7

81.6

59.4a

Hunter at Moonan Dam Site

210018

65.3

56.9

35.5

140.3

162.2

58.5

233.4

128.0

110.0

Bayswater Creek at Liddell

210110

NA

0.1

0.1

NA

4.6

0.1

8.2

21.6

5.8a

Glennies Creek at Middle Falbrook

210044

32.7

30.3

84.8

61.0

65.1

NA

62.9

127.4

66.3a

Wollombi Brook at Warkworth

210004

NA

NA

NA

125.1

74.2

4.8

92.1

230.5

105.3a

Paterson River at Gostwyck

210079

153.9

71.8

201.1

461.9

373.7

100.1

348.8

386.0

262.2

Williams River at Glen Martin

210010

199.1

117.2

261.5

559.1

433.4

131.9

321.0

479.5

312.8

Total inflows

493.4a

317.2a

889.9a

1602.3

1324.3

348.2a

1724.3

1870.5

1135.3a

adata missing

NA = data not available

Data: Bioregional Assessment Programme(Dataset 7)

The Hunter River gauging station at Greta is the most downstream gauging location on the Hunter River before the river becomes subject to tidal influences. Mean annual outflow at Greta for the same period was 697 GL/year (Table 6). Note that Paterson River and Williams River join the Hunter downstream of Greta, so the 575 GL/year of inflows from these tributaries are not reflected in the Greta flow volumes.

Table 6 Annual outflow for Hunter river basin at Greta


Gauging station name

Gauging station number

Mean annual streamflow (GL/y)

2004–05

2005–06

2006–07

2007–08

2008–09

2009–10

2010–11

2011–12

Mean

Hunter at Greta

210064

102.6

92.1

1616.8

862.6

855.7

77.5

944.6

987.2

696.8

Data: Bioregional Assessment Programme (Dataset 7)

Last updated:
18 January 2019