Irrigation Allocations - August 2007
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Goulburn-Murray Water (G-MW)
G-MW made its latest allocation announcement for the 2007/2008 season on 3 September. Current allocations are as follows:
| 3rd September 2007 | Change since 1 August 2007 | |
|---|---|---|
| Goulburn | 17% | 0% |
| Murray | 5% | 0% |
| Broken | 10% | 0% |
| Campaspe | 0% | 0% |
| Loddon | 0% | 0% |
| Bullarook | 0% | 0% |
The Goulburn and Murray channel delivery systems will operate assuming a 15 March 2008 close to the irrigation season until allocations reach 20%, at which time any further resource improvements will be used to extend the season to 15 April 2008.
The increased allocation on the Goulburn system was possible as a result of continuing moderate inflows to Lake Eildon, and agreements to shorten the irrigation season and to resume pumping from Waranga Basin.
G-MW made an initial 5% ‘bridging’ allocation for a shortened irrigation season on 15 August to allow customers to plan early-season water use. Small improvements in inflow along the Murray system since then have been sufficient to satisfy all losses through to the planned early closure of the season for gravity irrigation systems.
G-MW has allocated Broken system customers access to a 10% high-reliability water share for a period of two months ending 31 October 2007. The water availability in the Broken system will be reviewed regularly and any resource improvement will be directed towards extending the duration of irrigation supplies and increasing the allocation.
Continuing low inflows have prevented any allocations in the Campaspe, Loddon and Bullarook Creek water systems. Options to provide any irrigation allocation in these systems over a shortened period are being investigated. Irrigation allocations will only be made available if domestic and stock supplies throughout 2007/08 are assured.
The latest allocation outlooks for 15 October under a range of conditions are given below:
| Dry Conditions (9 out of 10) |
Ave. Conditions (5 out of 10) |
Wet Conditions (1 out of 10) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Goulburn | 27% | 52% | 72% |
| Murray | 16% | 33% | 52% |
| Broken | 10% | 50% | 100% |
| Campaspe | 0% | 0% | 64% |
| Loddon | 0% | 0% | 100% |
G-MW will provide the next allocation announcement on 17 September 2007.
The Minister for Water has temporarily qualified rights to water in the Murray, Goulburn, Broken, Campaspe, Loddon and Bullarook systems under section 33AAA(1) of the Water Act 1989 in response to the zero allocations. This means that water can be taken from these supply systems for selected purposes (see below), even whilst the allocation to high reliability water shares is 0%.
The qualifications allow holders of water shares and private rights to take water for the following purposes:
Domestic and Stock
- In-house purposes;
- Watering of animals kept as pets;
- Watering of cattle and other stock; and
- Firefighting.
Commercial and Industrial
- Watering of animals in intensive animal industries;
- Washdown;
- Cleaning;
- Cooling;
- Dust suppression; and
- Manufacturing and processing (provided best practice water savings measures have been implemented).
Once allocations reach 20% on the Murray, Goulburn and Broken systems, and 50% on the Campaspe, Loddon and Bullarook systems, normal operating rules will resume.
G-MW has announced 2007/08 seasonal allocations for groundwater users within the Spring Hill system of 100%. An allocation of 50% is available within the Campaspe Deep Lead and 70% within the Katunga system.
Coliban Rural System
An opening allocation for the 2007/08 irrigation season will be made on 15 September. As of 31 August, Coliban system headworks were holding 16% of capacity.
Wimmera Mallee Domestic and Stock Supply System
Wimmera Mallee Domestic and Stock Supply System:
Inflows to Grampians Headworks storages have dropped off following below average winter rainfall.
At 31 August 2007, storages in the Wimmera Mallee domestic and stock supply system were at 9.4% of capacity.
GWMW has resolved to proceed with a winter channel run which will fill occupied house dams on all winter channels that will not be piped in the next 12 months.
Stock and Domestic customers who do not have house dams can fill one dam per enterprise. In addition, intensive industry customers supplied by the channel system will be entitled to 50% of their supply by agreement entitlement or their intensive industry water use.
Water carting to properties receiving a dam fill will be withdrawn once each dam has been filled. Water carting permits will still be issued in cases where people do not receive a dam fill but need water for stock and crop spraying needs.
GWMW expect that about 2,500 dams, or 18% of the total number of dams in the channel system, will be filled. Customers on the Wimmera Mallee pipeline systems 1 and 5 will not be supplied a dam fill; however, carting in those areas will continue until they get a pipeline supply later this year.
Customers that are supplied by the irrigation channel system and the summer dam fill area will need to wait until later in the season for an announcement concerning the running of the summer system which is not normally activated until November.
Full details of the cartage program are available on GWMW’s website. In summary:
- GWMW is currently delivering 11 ML of water for domestic use every two months. This amount is expected to reduce marginally over time as house dams on the winter channel run are filled.
- The purchase of a water tank is eligible for up to a $3,000 rebate from the Victorian Government.
- Additional water is also available to GWMW rural customers, including those who receive a house dam fill, for stock watering and crop spraying. Water is provided at no cost, but carting arrangements and costs are the customer’s responsibility.
- Water is also available at a cost of $1.20/kL under a permit system for carting by others (at their own cost) who are not customers of GWMW. This water is for domestic use only.
- Supplies to all customer groups are being made available in accordance with the restriction schedule contained in the Wimmera-Glenelg Bulk Entitlements. Restrictions are as follows:
- towns are on Stage 4 restrictions;
- irrigation supplies are again zero;
- no supply is available for irrigation diversions on Wimmera River;
- supply to recreation lakes has been nil since 2000.
Southern Rural Water
Macalister Irrigation District (MID)
Lake Glenmaggie, the principal source of water for the MID, is now at 90.2% of capacity. SRW is maintaining the lake just below full capacity to assist with the management of inflow peaks associated with rain events.
The 2007/08 irrigation season opened on 15 August with an allocation of 100%. In accordance with the seasonal allocation rules, off-quota water is available and should continue through spring. From that point, any increase in allocations will depend on further inflows over summer and autumn.
Latrobe System
Water availability on the Latrobe system increased throughout August with Blue Rock Lake increasing to 70.2% of capacity. Southern Rural Water (SRW) license holders downstream on the Latrobe and Tanjil Rivers can currently pump up to their licensed volume from unregulated flows (which normally contribute some 70% of entitlements). SRW will announce a formal initial allocation for the 2007/08 season when unregulated flows in the Latrobe reduce to the minimum environmental flows.
Werribee Basin (Bacchus Marsh and Werribee Irrigation District)
SRW’s share of the Werribee Basin storages rose to 11.2% of capacity during August (an increase of 2% since 31 July). This level is low for this time of year.
SRW made an opening seasonal allocation for 2007/08 on 1 July of 0% water right and 100% domestic and stock. This is a temporary allocation for the period July to 1 September 2007. Irrigators can use the domestic and stock allowance for irrigation.
Whilst inflows to the storages during July were promising, they have since tapered off in recent weeks with the lack of consistent rainfall. This is of some concern, as allocations for irrigation are historically dependent on winter/spring inflows.
A range of measures are in place to assist in ameliorating the supply situation:
- Irrigators in the Werribee area will continue to participate in the recycling scheme. Some 7,300 ML of recycled water was delivered to approximately 85% of all growers last season. However, some irrigators have expressed preference for the use of some river water to allow shandying.
- A Ministerial-approved revision of the depth boundary for the Merrimu GMA has allowed for additional access to groundwater for Bacchus Marsh growers.
- The Minister for Water allocated 1,200 ML of unallocated water in Merrimu Reservoir for use up until September 2007 to maintain business viability in Bacchus Marsh.
- SRW installed a connection to enable spare capacity in Western Water’s Merrimu Reservoir to Bacchus Marsh pipeline to be used to bring water from SRW’s entitlement in Merrimu into the Bacchus Marsh Irrigation District.
Levels in the Deutgam Groundwater Management Area declined through 2005/06 and again during 2006/07, despite very low allocations. In order to protect the resource from seawater intrusion SRW have qualified and suspended rights, effectively banning groundwater use in the GMA as of 27 June 2007. SRW continue to monitor the situation.
Storage volumes in Rosslynne Reservoir improved slightly throughout August but are still low at 5.1% of capacity. With inflows well below average, SRW diverters face another season of low allocations.
SRW are yet to announce initial allocations for the 2007/08 season.