Gravity Irrigation Customer Newsletter

Rationing irrigation water supply

The 2024/25 irrigation season has seen exceptionally high demand, driven by strong water availability combined with a very dry winter and spring and the recent hot dry conditions. As a result, the season is shaping up to be one of the busiest in GMW’s history in terms of water orders and deliveries.

During these peak periods, channels often operate at or near full capacity. To manage this, we may implement scheduling measures to fit irrigation orders within the system’s limits in the form of rationing. Parts of the Loddon Valley Irrigation Area entered a rationing cycle from 5 March.

Waiving of Delivery Share changes application fee

We are waiving the application fee associated with varying or transferring delivery shares for impacted customers who were contacted by us in December 2024 or January 2025 in the Loddon Valley and Murray Valley Irrigation Areas.

Processing times and any other requirements or assessments associated with delivery share changes will still apply.

More information

For more information on rationing, customers can:

• visit our rationing webpage at www.gmwater.com.au/rationing
• phone us on 1800 013 357.

GMW Customer Committees

This year, new Customer Committees will be appointed, including three in the Goulburn Murray Irrigation District.

The GMID Customer Committee – East, GMID Customer Committee – Central, and GMID Customer Committee – West will have a strategic focus, be collaborative, and offer a manageable time commitment for members.

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.

Our 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 Central Goulburn, Loddon Valley, Murray Valley, Rochester-Campaspe, Shepparton and Torrumbarry Water Services Committees for their valuable work and contributions over the years.

Recreational Area Management Plans

Image credit:  Visit Albury Wodonga

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 we manage, 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 website to 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.

Seasonal determination update for northern Victoria systems

On 17 February 2025, the Resource Manager for northern Victoria updated the seasonal determinations for 2024/25 and an outlook for 2025/26.

With no significant rainfall across the catchments areas in recent weeks, there is no change to the seasonal determinations for 2024/25.

More information on the seasonal determination is available at the NVRM website.

Reserves established this season have provided a good foundation for water availability in most systems during 2025/26.

More information on the 2025/26 outlook is also available at the NVRM 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 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

Changes to variable invoices

In the past, we have issued two variable charge invoices each year - one in late March/early April and another in June. To simplify billing for customers, we proposed in the 2024-28 Price Submission to move to one variable invoice.

Starting this year, the March/April invoice will no longer be sent. Instead, you will receive just one variable invoice, which will continue to be issued in June.

For more information, please give us a call on 1800 013 357.

Plan for your winter water needs

The 2024/25 irrigation season will finish on 15 May and the 2025/26 season will open on 15 August.

During the irrigation off-season, we lower and dewater channels to enable the crucial maintenance of our channel network.

We cannot guarantee that you will have access to water from the channel network for domestic and stock or irrigation purposes during this time, due to channel maintenance requirements. Your channel could be drawn down at any point during the winter period. Even if there is water in your channel it may not be suitable for use due to works such as weed treatment.

We encourage you  to plan your winter water needs and consider filling your dams and tanks before 15 May to guarantee a winter water supply.

Customers who may want to use water for irrigation purposes during the irrigation off-season must apply for an Out of Season Agreement. Please note, conditions and fees apply.

For more information, including any questions you have, please phone the GMW Customer Experience team on 1800 013 357 and they will connect you to your local Customer Service Manager.

Ordering water

Gravity irrigation customers must order water before using it, and use must accurately reflect the flow rate and ordered duration. Without placing an order, you are taking water without authority and may be subject to penalties under the Water Act. It is illegal to take and use more water than allowed under your entitlement.

Please ensure you have the right authorisations before taking water from a dam, bore, stream, river or creek.

Placing an order for water also means we are able to accurately account for how much water was used if a meter fails. All gravity irrigation customers have the ability to monitor their seasonal usage through WaterLINE. It also allows you to record your own meter readings and produce a Water Usage Statement that summarises water usage for the current season. This report details your seasonal allocation, any movement of water in and out through trade; and how much is available allocation remaining to use, trade or carryover into the next season.

If you haven’t used WaterLINE before or have lost or misplaced your User Number or PIN, please call the GMW Customer Experience team on 1800 013 357. We will connect you with your local Customer Relationship Coordinator who will help get you started. Alternatively, you can visit the WaterLINE website.

Don’t swim in channels

While a channel might look still and calm, there could be hidden dangers just below the surface.

Dangers when swimming in channels include:

• strong undercurrents
• hidden pipes
• weeds and debris
• varying depths
• regulator gates that can open and close quickly
• drains
• submerged trees, sandbars and rocks.

Channels also pose a danger to pets - your furry friend could get tangled in weeds or tree branches.

Find out more information at our website.

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.

Keeping our waterways waste-free

Disposing of litter in or around channels and drains has negative repercussions for irrigators as well as the environment.

Litter can affect water quality and get caught in the gates and regulators in our channel network.

The damage caused to our assets can be costly and impacts our ability to reliably deliver water to customers. Nobody wins from rubbish being left in waterways, but it’s customers who are affected by it the most.

Please dispose of rubbish responsibility, and report littering and pollution by calling the EPA on 1300 372 842 or visiting the Environment Protection Authority Victoria website.

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.