Amendments to Campaspe System Bulk Entitlements - Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is a bulk entitlement?

A bulk entitlement is a legal right to water granted by the Minister for Water under the Water Act 1989 (the Act).

Bulk entitlements are legal instruments commonly held by water corporations in Victoria, which set out how much water the holder is entitled to take to supply its customers and the conditions around taking that water.

2. What changes to the bulk entitlements are proposed under the amendment applications?

The applications seek to make changes to the Entitlements foreshadowed in the Northern Region Sustainable Water Strategy in actions 4.15, 4.19 and 5.4. For the Campaspe system, this primarily involves improving flexibility in the timing of environmental flows, clarifying spill rules for water carried over in the storages and defining the volume held in dead storage in Lake Eppalock. A number of other minor changes have been requested in the applications to clarify and update existing aspects of the Bulk Entitlements.

3. Do these amendments affect other entitlements to water in the Campaspe system?

No. The amendments which are proposed do not change the volume of water available for any use. Therefore, none of the proposed amendments will have a material impact on other water users in the Campaspe system.

4. What happens next?

The Minister for Water will consider Goulburn-Murray Water’s and Coliban Water’s applications, taking into account the requirements of the Act.  Subject to the Minister for Water’s approval, the bulk entitlement amendments will come into effect when they are published in the Government Gazette.

5. Can I make a submission to the Minister on the applications?

The Minister for Water has not called for submissions.  There was inclusive consultation during the development of the Northern Region Sustainable Water Strategy, released in 2009.

However the Minister will consider any comments received from the public on the applications.

Written submissions can be emailed to water.be@dse.vic.gov.au or mailed to:

Executive Director, Water Resources Division
Office of Water
Department of Sustainability and Environment
Level 10/8 Nicholson Street
East Melbourne VIC 3002

6. Where can I get more information?

For more information on the applications please contact the DSE Customer Service Centre on 136 186.

Find out more about Victoria’s water allocation framework.