Goulburn-Murray
Water (G-MW) facilitates the permanent and temporary transfer of groundwater
licences under the provisions of Section 62 of the Water Act 1989. To download temporary transfer application
forms click here , or permanent transfer forms, click
here .
Why transfer groundwater?
Transferring
a groundwater licence provides existing licensed groundwater users the
opportunity to maximise the value of their licence, either to sell an unused
licence, or to buy additional entitlement in areas where no new licence entitlement
is being issued.
What rules apply to a temporary
transfer?
The following general rules
apply to the temporary transfer of a groundwater licence:
- Transferred entitlement may be restricted
or banned from use if it results in adverse impacts to other users or the
environment;
- Transferred entitlement is available for
use from the date of approval until the end of the water year (30th June);
- If the sellers bore is equipped, the works
must be metered in order to trade part or the whole entitlement;
- The buyer must have an existing
groundwater licence and metered bore before purchasing water entitlement;
- Matters listed in Section 53 of the Water
Act 1989 must be considered by G-MW and apply to each transfer
application.
Additionally, specific
rules apply to individual trading zones and can be found in the Groundwater Trading Fact Sheets.
What volume of water is
available to the buyer when a temporary transfer is approved?
The temporary transfer of a
licence involves the transfer of the requested licence volume from the sellers
licence to the buyer, taking into account any restrictions that may be in
place.
Where restrictions have been set (eg. where less than 100% of licence volume is
made available in a given season) the requested volume that will be available
for the purchaser to use upon approval of the transfer will be adjusted to
reflect the available percentage of licence volume at the time of the approval
of the transfer. Click here for groundwater allocations
and restrictions .
For example if a seller temporarily
transfers their 100ML Licence (unused) in a Management Plan Area where the
allocation volume is limited to 70%, the purchaser will be the recipient of a
100ML Licence entitlement with 70ML available to use for the season.
What rules apply to a
Permanent Transfer?
Permanent transfers of a
groundwater licence can occur within parts of the G-MW region.
Permanent transfer rules
have been developed for the Katunga, Mid Loddon, and Lower Campaspe Valley units.
What volume of water is available to
the buyer when a permanent transfer is approved?
Permanent transfer
includes:
(a) Transfer
of the licence entitlement for the requested volume from the sellers to the
buyer's existing or new licence; and
(b) transfer of the licence entitlement volume adjusted to reflect any
restrictions on the available percentage of licence volume at the time of the
approval of the transfer.
Where restrictions have been set (eg. where less than 100% of licence volume is
made available in a given season) the licence volume that will be available for
the purchaser to use upon approval of the transfer will be adjusted to reflect
the available percentage of licence volume at the time of the transfer. Click here for
groundwater allocations and restrictions .
For example if a seller permanently transfers 50ML of their licence where
the allocation volume is limited to 50%, the purchaser will receive a 50ML
licence with 25ML available for use in the first season.
When can the buyer take
and use transferred water?
The buyer can take and use
water upon written confirmation from G-MW that the transfer has been approved.
Do I need to meet the
Irrigation Development Guideline requirements?
Irrigation Development
Guidelines will be required for all new irrigation developments. You will be
contacted if the guidelines apply to you.