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Abstract
Efficient management of water in unregulated river systems is essential in meeting current
and future needs of water users and the environment. As an integral part of the new water
management process, volumetric conversions convert current area based licences into volume
based licences. Hydrology modelling determines the Daily Extraction Limits for different
flow conditions in each management rule proposed for meeting environmental objectives in
the catchment. The case study is the Adelong Creek Catchment, an unregulated river
catchment in southeastern New South Wales. Economic and hydrological modelling assesses
the impacts of proposed extraction rules, designed to meet environmental flow objectives, on
water availability in the catchment. A spreadsheet based optimisation model was developed
to assess the impacts of different flow management rules on the regional agricultural
economy. The suitability of this approach will be assessed for application to other
unregulated stream catchments.