What are seasonal allocations?

Seasonal allocations apply to holders of entitlements to water in a regulated supply system or a groundwater system.

This means that they are applicable to holders of water shares and water licences.

At the start of each year, in a regulated system, the amount of water available for licence holders and holders of water shares to take is calculated. The allocation normally increases over the winter-spring period as water flows into the storages.

The seasonal allocation is typically expressed as a percentage of an individual’s maximum entitlement. For example, if a water corporation sets seasonal allocations at 75% this means that a person holding a right to a maximum of 100ML per year will receive 75ML in that year. This may be revised throughout the irrigation season depending on water availability.

Who makes these allocations?

Seasonal allocations are made by the water corporation responsible for operating the supply system in accordance with defined rules for calculating the allocations.

How are they applied?

From a legal perspective the way in which seasonal allocations are made vary according to the type of right to water held:

• water licences in a regulated system: the water corporation responsible for the water system under the relevant bulk entitlement effectively determines seasonal allocations through the exercise of delegated powers to qualify rights.
• water shares: on 1 July 2007 all regulated systems in northern Victoria became declared systems and water rights and licences in these systems were converted to water shares. A water corporation is appointed by the Minister to make a seasonal determination for the system as a whole (section 64GB). Consistent with that overall seasonal determination, the Minister is responsible for determining a water allocation for each water share in that system section 33AC. The total amount available is proportionally assigned to each right holder as an individual water allocation .  With the Minister’s approval the holder of a water share can “carry over” a water allocation i.e. take unused water in a subsequent irrigation season (section 33AD).