Irrigation Allocations - November 2007
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Goulburn-Murray Water (G-MW)
Irrigation allocations for 2007/08 continued to be extremely low because of prolonged dry conditions.
In November, G-MW increased allocations on the Goulburn, Murray Broken and Campaspe systems. As of 15 November, allocations for high reliability water shares were as follows:
| 15th November 2007 | Change since 15 October 2007 | |
|---|---|---|
| Goulburn | 35% | 9% |
| Murray | 23% | 5% |
| Broken | 23% | 5% |
| Campaspe | 5% | 3% |
| Loddon | 5% | 0% |
| Bullarook | 0% | 0% |
In November, the Goulburn system allocation increased by 9% to 35%.
In November, the allocation in the Murray system increased by 5% to 23% and the gravity irrigation season extended by two months to 15 May 2008. The announcement of a 20% allocation on 1 November triggered the expiry of the qualification of rights in the Murray system. From 1 November, all water use by customers, regardless of purpose, must be in accordance with the allocated volume.
On 15 November the seasonal allocation for the Broken system increased from 18% to 23%. The announcement of the 23% allocation triggered the expiry of the qualification of rights on the Broken system. From 15 November, all water use by customers, regardless of purpose, must be in accordance with the allocated volume. Continuous access to water was available until 30 November 2007. Access after 30 November will be rostered to maximise water use efficiency.
The Loddon system seasonal allocation remained at 5% in November. Customers had rostered access one in every four weeks.
Allocations increased from 2% to 5% on the Campaspe system. All orders on the Campaspe were rostered to minimise system losses.
There was not enough water in the Bullarook system for an irrigation allocation in November. No irrigation allocation is expected this season. Bullarook Creek customers continued to have access to water for qualified rights.
As of 15 November, the most optimistic seasonal allocations at 15 February 2008 were approximately:
- 46% in the Goulburn system;
- 31% in the Murray system.
G-MW will provide further allocation announcements on 3 and 17 December 2007.
The Government announced $2.6 million funding to meet the cost of pumping the Waranga Basin in 2007/08 under the recently announced Drought Relief Package. The pumping program added 7% to the initial allocation for Goulburn system irrigators this season.
G-MW announced that up to 5,000 ML of current season allocations can be transferred from the Lower Goulburn River trading zone into the Greater Goulburn water trading zones as well as Loddon Weir Pool, Lower Campaspe and Lower Broken Creek. The opening up of this trade opportunity will give buyers and sellers more options in the water market.
In June 2007, the Minister for Water temporarily qualified rights to water in the Murray, Goulburn, Broken, Campaspe, Loddon and Bullarook systems. Under these qualifications, water could be taken from these systems for selected purposes, even while the allocation to high reliability water shares was low.
The qualification of rights on the Goulburn, Murray and Broken systems expired when allocations on these systems reached 20%. Normal allocation rules have resumed on these systems. The qualification on the Loddon, Bullarook, and Campaspe systems will remain in place until allocations on these systems reach 50%.
Coliban Rural System
This year’s Coliban System rural season opened with a 30% allocation of licensed volume. The allocation for rural customers is the minimum needed to run the rural system with some efficiency.
Wimmera Mallee Domestic and Stock Supply System
Inflows to Grampians Headworks storages continued to recede in November following below average rainfall since May 2007 and the release of water for the winter channel run.
At 30 November 2007, storages in the Wimmera Mallee domestic and stock supply system were stable at 5.7% of capacity.
GWMW began the winter channel run in September with the aim of filling occupied house dams on all winter channels that will not be piped in the next 12 months. While inflows have been lower than planned, GWMW are still expecting to fill all house dams by the end of December. However if low inflow conditions persist, additional pumping infrastructure may be required to pump dead storage from Taylors Lake to supply the run.
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 entitlement, or enough water to meet their intensive industry water needs.
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 expects 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.
GWMW are currently reviewing arrangements for the summer channel run, which supplies Clear Lake, Natimuk and Noradjuha. Current forecasts indicate that there will not be enough water available for the run to occur this summer. However, Natimuk and Noradjuha received enough local runoff in April and May this year to meet demands until mid 2008 on stage 4 restrictions. Clear Lake is receiving water via carting at present, which is considered to be a satisfactory arrangement for the coming year.
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.
GWMW released 2,600 ML of environmental carry over water between 25 September 2007 and 31 October 2007 to maintain the last remaining drought refuge areas in the Wimmera River for threatened cat fish species, blackfish and river red gums. In 2006 this flow was held over for emergency purposes until there was sufficient water in Grampians storages to permit a channel run.
Southern Rural Water
Macalister Irrigation District (MID)
At 30 November, Lake Glenmaggie, the principal source of water for the MID, was at 99.8% of capacity.
The November floods filled Lake Glenmaggie, and allowed SRW to declare off quota until 15 November.
The MID has an allocation of 100% starting from 15 November. The 46,000 ML delivered up to that time is counted as off-quota.
Any increase in the allocation will depend on further inflows over summer and autumn.
Latrobe System
Water availability on the Latrobe system increased throughout November with Blue Rock Lake increasing 3.9% to 80% of capacity. However, at 30 November the irrigation share stood at just 2,090 ML due to being drawn down last season. This equates to about 20% of regulated allocation.
In November, Southern Rural Water (SRW) license holders downstream on the Latrobe and Tanjil Rivers could pump up to their licensed volume but availability was limited by unregulated river 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 11.7% of capacity during November (an increase of 1.1% since 31 October). 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. SRW has committed to pumping dead storage from Pykes Creek reservoir, which has enabled the allocation to be increased to 5% water right for the system.
Whilst inflows to the storages during July were promising, they have since tapered off due to a 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, particularly over summer.
- 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 has again approved a qualification of rights to unallocated water in Merrimu Reservoir to maintain business viability in Bacchus Marsh. A total of 800 ML has been made available.
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 levels in the aquifer, however will only allow access to the resource when the risk of doing so has diminished.
Maribyrnong Basin
The storage volume in Rosslynne Reservoir remained low in November at 4.9% of capacity. With inflows well below average, SRW diverters face another season of low, possibly zero, allocations.
SRW announced an initial allocation of 0% of licensed volume for the 2007/08 season on 3 August.