The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) has released the operating plan for delivering water from the Goulburn Inter-Valley Trade (IVT) account to the Murray. This plan has been released to support the implementation of the interim operating and trade rules that were introduced on 1 July 2021.
For more information on the plan, including information about water delivery and trade opportunity, visit the Victorian Water Register.
The new interim trade rule
From 1 July 2021, the new interim Goulburn to Murray trade rule came into effect for the 2021-22 year. The interim trade rule is intended to prevent further damage occurring to the lower Goulburn River from prolonged high flows over summer and autumn.
The two-part trade rule applies to trade from the Goulburn, Loddon, Campaspe and Broken to the Victorian Murray and interstate, and replaces the 200 GL rolling limit that previously applied year-round.
From 1 July to 15 December 2021 trade will be possible whenever the balance of the Goulburn IVT account is lower than the new limit of 190 GL. The winter-spring rolling limit is in place and like the previous rule, trade opportunity will be created each time river operators deliver water from the Goulburn to meet traded demands in the Murray.
Fixed summer-autumn cap
On 15 December 2021, the summer-autumn trade cap will be announced and net trade will be capped to enable the IVT account balance to be drawn down over the rest of the year. This is critical to support the following year’s trade for water users.
While the summer-autumn cap is in effect, further trade opportunity will not become available as river operators deliver more water to the Murray. Instead, the IVT account balance will be drawn down so that more trade is available from 1 July 2022. Information about the IVT delivery plan will be available at GMW's Managing Water Storages webpage, opens in a new window.
Back-trade rules will continue to apply and trade back into the Goulburn from the Murray will continue to create trade opportunity throughout the year, including in summer and autumn.
What about water users in the Lower Broken Creek?
The current interim exemption will continue throughout 2021/22, so that water users with water allocation held in an account from the Goulburn, Loddon or Campaspe system that is tagged for use in the Lower Broken Creek can continue to use tagged water when trade is closed.
Additional information