GMW Customer Committees
|
|
This year, new Customer Committees, including a Diversions Customer Committee, will be appointed.
The committee will have a strategic focus, be collaborative, and offer a manageable time commitment for members. There will also be committees for Pumped Districts, Water Districts, GMID East, GMID West, and GMID Central.
Expressions of Interest for the new committees closed 23 February, and we are currently checking the eligibility of applicants as per the Terms of Reference.
The Board is expected to approve Customer Committee membership at the upcoming Board meeting in April.
We are looking forward to announcing the membership of each committee in the coming months.
If you would like more information about the Customer Committees, visit our GMW Customer Committees Your Say @ GMW webpage.
We would also like to acknowledge and thank the members of our previous Kiewa/Mitta Mitta/Upper Murray, Ovens/King/Mid Murray, Goulburn Broken and Loddon and Campaspe Regional Water Services Committees for their valuable work and contributions over the years.
|
Dry weather impacting groundwater availability
|
|
In recent months, some customers have experienced difficulties pumping groundwater.
This is due to the continued dry weather causing water tables to fall across our region.
Just as water levels in lakes and streams are impacted by weather conditions and the amount of water being used, groundwater levels across some aquifers are likewise dependent on rainfall and how much water is being used.
For more information about groundwater availability when conditions are dry, head to our website.
|
Recreational Area Management Plans
|
|
Image credit: Visit Albury Wodonga
As Australia’s largest rural water corporation, we are responsible for managing 23 water storages under the Victorian Water Act (1989).These storages supply water for irrigation, and urban, rural and environmental use.
Of the 23 storages, 18 are determined recreational areas and provide benefits including:
- access to recreational enjoyment on land and water
- enhanced liveability, social connection, and health and wellbeing, and
- creating opportunities for tourism and economic activity.
We have commenced the development of Recreational Area Management Plans for the 18 Determined Recreational Areas we manage.
The plans are designed to manage and support the sustainable use and protection of water resources at a water storage that is used for recreation.
Have your say
We are seeking feedback to help inform the development of the plans and would like to learn more about your values, perspectives and experiences at these recreational areas.
Please visit our Your Say @ GMW websiteto complete the short survey and help inform the management of recreational areas into the future.
|
Seymour Alternative Farming Expo
|
|
Come and see us at the Seymour Alternative Farming Expo!
The Seymour Alternative Farming Expo is back this year, running from 4 to 6 April.
Our staff will be at site EB55, raising awareness about our services and providing our customers an opportunity to meet with us face–to-face.
Our team can help you with the latest information and updates on:
- water trading
- carryover and spillable water accounts
- your delivery shares, water shares, extraction shares and groundwater related matters
- customer accounts
- other water management issues.
Held in the heart of Victoria at Kings Park Seymour, the Expo features approximately 400 exhibitors and attracts 20,000 visitors across three days.
Find out more at the Seymour Alternative Farming Expo website.
|
Spillable water accounts
|
|
If the volume of allocation you carry over plus what you receive from next year’s seasonal determination is greater than the volume of your high and low-reliability water shares, then the volume above your water share will be transferred into a spillable water account.
Allocation held in spillable water accounts is not available for use or trade until the risk of spill in your particular system falls below 10 per cent. Deductions from spillable water accounts occur when Lake Hume, Lake Eildon or Lake Eppalock spill or water is released to keep the storage level close to full.
In the current 2024/25 season, the risk of spill fell below 10 per cent in the Murray, Goulburn and Campaspe systems on 11 November 2024 and the allocation in spillable water accounts was transferred back into allocation accounts.
The risk of spill in the Murray, Goulburn and Campaspe systems in 2025/26 will depend on how much water is released from the storages in the next few months to meet demands. The risk of spill in the Murray system is expected to be about 50 per cent at the start of July 2025. The risk of spill in the Goulburn system is expected to be about 30 per cent and 45 per cent in the Campaspe system in early 2025/26.
|
Above entitlement storage fees
|
|
Above entitlement storage fees apply if the total carryover and allocation available over the season is more than the full water share volume. This ensures people who hold more water in storage than their entitlement volume contribute their fair share of storage costs. Fees do not apply to any water that spills, or any allocation traded in during the current season.
Like the fixed entitlement storage fees, above entitlement storage fees are paid by the water share owner. However, above entitlement storage fees cannot be raised until allocations are finished and the declaration has been made. These fees are not raised until late in the season, with the end of season variable charges accounts.
It is important to be aware that if you buy a water share prior to the above entitlement storage fees being raised, you will be liable for any above entitlement storage fees issued later in the year for that water share.
More information about above entitlement storage fees is available in a fact sheet at the Victorian Water Register website.
The charges for each basin for 2024/25 are:
- Goulburn - $4.52 per ML
- Campaspe - $18.86 per ML
- Murray - $4.77 per ML
|
Zone 7 metering and telemetry modernisation project update
|
|
Contractors are expected to start installing upgraded meters and/or telemetry at sites identified as part of the Zone 7 metering and telemetry modernisation project over the next couple of months.
Before any works start, a project team member will call customers to ensure minimal impact to supply.
Funded through the Victorian Government, the project aims to upgrade meters and telemetry or install telemetry on meters that are already compliant with the Australian Standard 4747 metering standard, to about 70 larger diverters in Zone 7.
Telemetry is already in use across large parts of our footprint and this project will help bring Zone 7 customers in line with a modernised water supply network and provide some of the same operational benefits to customers.
Any questions, please contact our Contact Centre on 1800 013 357.
|
WaterLINE and monitoring your usage
|
|
All diversions customers have the ability to monitor their seasonal usage through accessing their water records via our water management system WaterLINE.
While regulated diverters will be familiar with the use of WaterLINE to place or vary orders, groundwater and unregulated customers may not have had exposure to the system.
WaterLINE allows customers to insert their own meter readings and produce a Water Usage Statement that summarises your water usage for the current season. The report details your seasonal allocation, any movement of water in and out through trade, and how much available allocation you have remaining to use, trade or carryover into the next season. WaterLINE is a valuable tool to help you manage your water.
To access WaterLINE, you will need to be issued a User Number and PIN to log into the system. If you need assistance in setting up WaterLINE phone 1800 013 357 and our Customer Experience team will connect you with your local Diversions Inspector who will help get you started. If you have lost or misplaced your User Number or PIN we can also assist you with resetting these.
|
Unlicensed water pumpers warned
|
|
We are reminding people to do the right thing when it comes to accessing water from storages and waterways. Taking water without proper authorisation is illegal and can have serious consequences for others who rely on this valuable resource.
With the recent warm and dry conditions, there has been an increase in people parking at boat ramps or along public roads beside waterways to pump water into their trailer tanks.
To ensure fairness for everyone, we take a firm stance against unauthorised water use.
Anyone caught illegally taking water from a GMW storage or waterway can face prosecution under the Water Act 1989, but there are legal alternatives available for those in need. If you require water but don’t hold an entitlement, our diversions inspectors are happy to discuss options and help you navigate the authorisation process.
For urgent water needs, there are also about 300 emergency water supply points across Victoria, including bores and standpipes, that provide water for emergency stock and domestic or rural use. You can find nearby locations on the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action website.
If you have questions about sourcing water or need to report instances of water theft, please phone us on 1800 013 357.
|
Meter reading reminder
|
|
GMW’s Diversions Inspectors will begin undertaking end-of-season meter readings from late April.
To assist customers, Diversions Inspectors record the end-of-season meter reading and date when the reading was taken on a sticker and place it on or near the meter so that it is clear what the final reading was. This reading becomes the start reading for the following season.
Any usage that occurs after the date recorded on the sticker and before 30 June needs to be communicated to your local Diversions Inspector on 1800 013 357.
If you are a regulated surface water customer who would like to use entitlement during May or June, please ensure you order your requirements through WaterLINE or contact your local Diversion Inspector so that your usage can be accounted for in the current season.
If you are an unregulated surface water or groundwater customer and use water in the months of May or June, please inform your local Diversions Inspector so that the usage can be accounted for in the current season.
Failure to do so will result in any usage after the end-of-season meter reading being accounted for against your 2025/26 usage.
|
Groundwater licensing process
|
|
Under the Victorian Water Act 1989, we issue and administer groundwater licences on behalf of the Minister for Water.
A groundwater licence can be a valuable, even business saving asset to a farm or other commercial operation. You should be aware however, application to take and use groundwater is a significant undertaking, involving expensive construction, detailed technical assessment and associated costs. It is important that before placing any applications that you discuss your proposed development with us to understand your potential for success, timelines, and risks.
The process often involves advertising and notifications, time for submissions, site inspections and referrals, with expected processing times ranging from three to six months, or longer if additional technical investigations are required to be completed by an applicant.
If you intend to take groundwater for irrigation or commercial purposes you will need to first apply to us for a licence to Construct works (a bore) for a licensable purpose. Once the works are installed you can then make application for a licence to Take and Use/Operate Works. In most cases (other than the Shepparton Irrigation Region), this will mean an application for a permanent or temporary transfer of licensed entitlement from an existing groundwater licence holder.
We consider the risks of any application, and this will depend on factors such as bore location and construction, scale of proposed development and proximity to other water users and/or environmental features such as waterways. We also need to ensure that any requirements of existing management plans are implemented.
Depending on the risks identified, you may be requested to undertake a hydrogeological investigation and pumping test to allow us to properly assess your application.
If you have any questions about the licensing process, please phone us on 1800 013 357.
|
Hazardous dams
|
|
If you are the owner of a dam, we’re asking that you take some general precautions including inspecting and monitoring for signs of deficiencies, clearing spillways and outlet pipes to help pass flows, and repairing any cracks and other defects.
As a reminder, a potentially hazardous dam is any dam on a waterway, or a dam as described under Section 67 (1A) of the Water Act 1989. Your existing licence document will indicate if your dam is on or off a waterway.
The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action has produced booklets, Your dam your responsibility and Dam safety emergency plan to assist farm dam owners to understand their responsibilities for operating and maintaining farms on their properties. You can find them at the DEECA website.
|
How river and stream restrictions work
|
|
Flows in unregulated streams are monitored and rosters and restrictions are implemented when flows reach trigger levels as identified in the relevant Local Management Rules. Streams that do not have a specific Local Management Rule have a minimum threshold of three megalitres per day applied.
Customers are required by their licence conditions to take water in accordance with any rosters and restrictions on their stream. It is an offence to take and use water at a level exceeding any roster or restriction.
Our Rosters and Restrictions webpage provides a place for unregulated customers to review the status of their stream at any time. Select a region or catchment, select a stream and view any current restrictions on unregulated water access.
For more information about specific streams, please contact your local Diversion Inspector on 1800 013 357.
|
Contacting your local Diversions Inspector
|
|
Our Diversions staff manage a range of rivers – both regulated and unregulated – and groundwater management areas.
The Diversions team provides services to diverters throughout our entire 68,000km² operational area, and private diverters account for more than 50 per cent of our customer base.
Our friendly Diversions operational team members are based at our Customer Service Centres and Storage Offices across the region.
We have had some team changes recently with Lynley Strachan retiring in December 2024, and Glen Payne stepping into Lynley’s area from the West Goulburn GMA Zone. We welcomed Jade Burley as the Diversions Inspector in the West Goulburn GMA zone.
You can view our interactive map on our website to find out what diversions zone you are in and the Diversions Inspector responsible for your zone.
If you would like to make an appointment with your local Diversions Inspector, please phone us on 1800 013 357.
|
Keeping our staff safe at work
|
|
We have a zero tolerance of aggressive behaviour both physically and verbally towards our staff.
Sometimes we are required to undertake emergency maintenance on our assets, which often calls out of hours. Please be understanding of this – our staff have the right to safe workplaces.
Our commitments to you:
- we will notify you if we need to enter your property out of normal operating hours
- we will be in GMW uniform
- our vehicle will be identifiable - the hazard lights will be on, and the vehicle will be branded
- we will carry identification
- we will attempt to fix the issue as quickly as possible.
If you have concerns about a person on your property, call our emergency number on 1800 064 184 and we will confirm whether they are a GMW employee.
|
Pesticide usage to protect meters
|
|
In the coming weeks, you may notice some red spray on and around GMW meters.
This spray is a pesticide that is being used to keep ants and other insects out of the meters.
The pesticide has been specifically selected due to its low toxicity to humans and animals, as well as its negligible impact on the environment.
It will pose no risk to livestock or crops and will not impact water quality when used on meters near channels.
For more information, please contact us on 1800 013 357.
|
Update your details
|
|
To help us contact you quickly and cost effectively in case of an incident, service interruption or when you need to know important information, it’s critical we have your current mobile number and email address.
To update your contact details, please call us on 1800 013 357 or complete the online form on our website.
|