The Water Savings Protocol technical manual allows water savings to be calculated in a consistent and transparent manner, and meets the requirement that all water savings are independently audited.

The technical manual has been accredited in an independent review by internationally-recognised water expert Dr Don Blackmore, who was the chief executive of the Murray-Darling Basin Commission for 15 years.

Version 3 incorporates changes recommended by the Auditor of the 2008-09 irrigation season water savings, plus other changes to ensure the manual reflects the best available knowledge. The changes are described in detail in Section 17 of the manual below.

The protocol was developed with Goulburn-Murray Water (G-MW), the Northern Victoria Irrigation Renewal Project (NVIRP), irrigators, irrigation infrastructure experts and other key stakeholders.

The guidelines in the protocol are comparable to the methods originally used by the Murray-Darling Basin Commission to audit States' compliance with the Murray-Darling Basin Cap.

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Water Savings Protocol - Explanatory Note (PDF~130kB)Water Savings Protocol - Technical Manual (PDF~1.8MB)Water Savings Protocol - Roles and Responsibilities (PDF~586kB)Water Savings Protocol - Audit Process (PDF~336kB)