Irrigators are being encouraged to think about how they manage their water entitlements as the 2023/24 irrigation season enters its final weeks.
Goulburn-Murray Water (GMW) customers have several different options for how they manage their unused water ahead of the end of the irrigation season on Wednesday 15 May.
This includes the option to “carry over” water, allowing customers to keep some or all of their unused allocations for the next irrigation season.
GMW Water Delivery Services general manager Warren Blyth said it was important customers were aware of their options.
“Customers in the Broken, Bullarook, Campaspe, Goulburn, Loddon and Murray systems all have the opportunity to carry over, but the rules between these systems vary,” he said.
“Unused allocation will automatically carry over for customers as long as it is held in an allocation account (ABA) linked to their water shares before 28 June 2024.”
Customers who choose not to carry over unused water entitlements can instead look to sell unused water by finding a buyer or using a broker to find one. Online trades must be submitted by 5pm, 28 June 2024.
The Victorian Water Register’s carryover calculator is a helpful tool to understand how carryover rules work in northern Victoria and explore how carryover, spills and allocations affect the amount of water available under customers’ entitlements in different scenarios. The calculator can be found on the Victorian Water Register website
For further details on carryover and the rules that apply to different systems, people can visit the GMW website
Water entitlement holders on the Campaspe, Goulburn and Murray systems can also opt to relinquish water that they do not wish to carryover.
Further details on relinquishing water are available on the GMW website
For more information on options for unused water, phone GMW’s Customer Experience Team on 1800 013 357.