The NSW Department of Water announced today that the high security allocation in the Murrumbidgee Valley will increase by 20pc to 95pc of entitlement and a general security allocation of 5pc of entitlement will be available.

It says the high security allocation in the Murray Valley will increase by 30pc to 80pc of entitlement.

In the Lower Daring River, a general security allocation of 20pc of entitlement is available, which is in addition to 100pc of high security entitlement already available in that valley.

In Victoria, Goulburn-Murray Water today announced the Murray system now has an allocation of 13pc of high-reliability water shares (HRWS) and the Goulburn system has 9pc HRWS.

However, all other northern Victorian water systems remain at zero allocation.

NSW Department of Water deputy director general, David Harriss, said this increase in water availability in that State was the result of some good rainfall in the upper Murray, Murrumbidgee and Snowy catchments.

"One gauging station in the Upper Murray at Biggara recorded its highest inflow in 10 years," Mr Harriss said.

"Today's increase in high security allocation in the Murray Valley triggers the repayment of critical water from 2007/08, where this has not been repaid previously."

In contrast G-MW acting managing director, Ian Moorhouse, said the small improvements in the Murray and Goulburn systems were welcome, but he warned that conditions were critically dry across northern Victoria.

"Inflows have been very poor during September," Mr Moorhouse said.

"The Murray system received some inflows from a rainfall event over a week ago, but the other systems have recorded very little rainfall or inflow.

"The September inflow totals for the water systems are well short of the long-term monthly average."