Irrigation Allocations - March 2007
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Goulburn-Murray Water (G-MW)
Water allocations for the 2006/2007 season were updated by Goulburn Murray Water on March 1 and 15 2007.
Goulburn System
The allocation for the Goulburn system was increased by 2% to 27% of Water Right and Licensed Volume. The date for the end of the Goulburn system irrigation season was extended to 30 April 2007. The allocation increase has resulted from the cumulative effects of inflows to storages and lower than forecast system losses since the previous increase in mid-February.
Loddon and Campaspe Systems
Storage volumes in Loddon and Campaspe systems have continued to fall. Goulburn-Murray Water is preparing emergency drought operation measures to meet domestic and stock requirements in these systems until inflows increase significantly.
Murray Valley and Torrumbarry Systems
The irrigation season for the Torrumbarry irrigation area was extended to 30 April 2007 following substantial improvement in the management of losses in the area. The season closing date for the Murray Valley irrigation area remains at 30 April.
Broken System
The Broken system allocation was increased from 72% to 74% of licensed volume. This increase was made possible by lower than forecast system losses
Allocation Summary
Current allocations are as follows:
- Goulburn system: increased to 27% (up from 25%);
- Campaspe and Loddon systems: zero allocation;
- Murray system: 95% of water right and licensed volume;
- Broken system: increased to 74% of licensed volume (up from 72%);
- Bullarook System:
- customers supplied from Newlyn reservoir have an allocation of 36%;
- customers supplied from Hepburn's Lagoon have an allocation of 0%.
The next allocation announcement is scheduled for Monday 2 April 2007.
Coliban Rural System
A zero allocation is in place for Coliban rural licence holders for the 2006/07 season. A temporary qualification of rights has been made to allow the supply of a limited amount (30% allocation) of water to sustain permanent plantings, food production and intensive animal industries. Other licence holders are eligible for a water cartage rebate from Coliban Water, for water (up to 30,000 litres) carted for essential in-house use.
Wimmera Mallee Domestic and Stock Supply System
At 31 March 2007, storages in the Wimmera Mallee domestic and stock supply system were at 3.8% of capacity (compared with 6.6% at the same time last year).
The region is facing an extremely serious water supply situation. The winter channel run from the Grampians system only filled town storages, including two towns usually filled by the summer channel run. Enough water was supplied to these storages to provide emergency supplies for cartage to some 2,300 properties for basic domestic purposes. There is no summer channel run this season.
A water cartage program is being implemented, full details of which are available on Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water’s (GWMW) website. GWMW is delivering 28,000L of water for domestic use every second month to rural customers not receiving a house dam fill when existing house dam supplies become unusable. The purchase of a water tank is eligible for up to a $3,000 rebate from the Victorian Government. The demand for rural carting has decreased over recent months.
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;
- commercial supplies to major customers are zero.
Southern Rural Water
Macalister Irrigation District (MID)
Glenmaggie Reservoir, the principal source of water for Thomson-Macalister Irrigation District (MID), was holding 10.2% of capacity at the end of March. This remains one of the lowest storage figure recorded in the last 30 years for this time of year.
At the end of March, irrigators in the Northern, Eastern and Tinamba/Riverslea areas in the MID were on a 48% allocation (as of 27 February 2007).
Irrigators below Cowwarr Weir are supplied from the Thomson Dam, and their allocation remains at 50% (as of 19 December 2006).
Latrobe System
Water availability on the Latrobe system remains good, with Blue Rock Lake being at 53.3% of capacity. An allocation of 100% has been announced for license holders downstream on the Latrobe and Tanjil Rivers.
Werribee Basin (Bacchus Marsh and Werribee Irrigation District)
Southern Rural Water’s share of Werribee Basin storages was at 6.5% of capacity on 31 March 2007.
Because of the low storage situation, initial allocations for the 2006/2007 season were 0% for the Bacchus Marsh irrigation area and 5% for the Werribee irrigation area. These were increased to 10% on 23 October 2006. This increase was made possible by a decision to pump dead storage from Pykes Ck Reservoir. Full domestic and stock entitlements are now also available in both areas.
A range of other measures are in place to assist in ameliorating the supply situation:
- Irrigators in the Werribee area participating in the recycling scheme (now approaching 80% of growers) are able to access recycled water.
- In the case of Bacchus Marsh irrigators, SRW installed a connection to enable any spare capacity in the Merrimu Reservoir to Bacchus Marsh pipeline, to be used to bring water from SRW’s entitlements in Merrimu into the Bacchus Marsh Irrigation district.
- A qualification of rights has also been made to make a small amount of unallocated water in Lake Merrimu available to irrigators and industrial customers in Bacchus Marsh.
Levels in the Deutgam Groundwater Management Area have been declining through 2005/2006. In order to protect the resource from seawater intrusion, allocations for the 2006/2007 season are at 25% of licensed volume.
Rosslynne Reservoir remains low at 4.4% of capacity. Current allocations for SRW diverters are at 5%.
Levels in the Deutgam Groundwater Management Area declined through 2005/06. In order to protect the resource from seawater intrusion, allocations for the 2006/07 season were set at 25% of licensed volume. Southern Rural Water expect to introduce a groundwater ban before July as levels continue to decline in 2006/07.
With inflows well below average, storage volumes in Rosslynne Reservoir continued to decrease and are now at 4.3% of capacity. Current allocations for SRW diverters remain at 5%.