How is water recovery measured?
The volume of water that will be recovered by a water recovery measure is calculated as a ‘long-term Cap equivalent’ volume. The long-term Cap equivalent is a type of average. It takes into account the different characteristics of water entitlements in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, and their reliability. For instance, to recover a long-term Cap equivalent volume of 1,000 ML in the NSW Murray region, you could purchase either a 1,053 ML High Security Water Access Licence or a 1,237 ML General Security Water Access Licence. This measure of water recovery creates a common unit of measure, thus allowing equitable comparison of a broad range of water recovery measures. The long-term Cap equivalent volume equates approximately to the theoretical long-term average increase in the flows in the Murray River resulting from the implementation of the water recovery measure: • ‘theoretical’ because it is calculated using a hydrological model which can assume that the recovered wate
