Pumped District Customer Newsletter

GMW Customer Committees

This year, new Customer Committees, including a Pumped Districts 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 Diversions, 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 its upcoming 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.

Pumped Irrigation Districts Future Service Strategy

We are developing a Future Services Strategy for our Pumped Irrigation Districts -Nyah, Tresco, and Woorinen. This strategy will outline how each district is expected to progress over the next five to 30 years and the infrastructure and service requirements for these future scenarios.

How we’re shaping the future

The strategy will be informed by:

• extensive consultation with customers and key stakeholders
• engineering analysis of future infrastructure needs
• economic impact assessment
• environmental and ecological considerations.

Your voice matters

Over the coming months, we’ll be engaging with our customers to better understand your priorities, future plans, and expectations for water delivery. Your input will help shape the future of our districts.

To support this, we are preparing an Issues and Opportunities Paper, which will outline key insights, what we have heard from customers, and what our data tells us about the future prospects for the region.

Stay informed and get involved

We’ll keep you updated as the project progresses and provide opportunities for you to have your say.

For more details, visit our Pumped Irrigation Future Services Strategy Your Say @ GMW webpage.

Recreational Area Management Plans

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.

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 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.

Protecting and preparing your rights during possible river rationing events

Recently we wrote to you encouraging you to order your water via our water ordering system WaterLINE.

Ordering water provides more certainty and flexibility for water users who source water from regulated rivers, such as the Murray, particularly during times when river rationing is required due to shortfalls.

It is particularly important for regions like the River Murray system downstream of Barmah Choke (Zone 7) where delivery risks are increasing due to Choke capacity issues and high demand.

To prepare irrigators in Nyah, Tresco and Woorinen should a river rationing event occur in the near future, we are encouraging customers to sign up to WaterLINE.

WaterLINE also gives you the ability to view your Allocation Account (ABA) balance and input your meter readings.

If you have never used WaterLINE or haven’t for some time

WaterLINE can be accessed in two ways: online at www.gmwater.com.au/waterlineor phone 1300 469 469 (1300 GMW GMW - local call cost).

To get started you will need a User Number and a PIN . Your User Number and PIN were included in letters sent to you late last year.

For more help

You can download an online guide from our WaterLINE website for step-by-step instructions.

If you are still having problems, contact one of our Customer Relationship Coordinators on 1800 013 357 and an in-person meeting can be organised to help set you up.

Pipelines: don’t let the pressure build

We have recently had a few instances of people closing the air valves – such as the one pictured below – that run along many of our pipelines.

When these valves are closed, air can get trapped in the pipeline, which can cause a system failure. For the system to run properly, all air valves need to be turned on and working correctly.

We believe, in most instances, that pipeline customers or members of the public have closed the valves because they have seen small amounts of water leaking from them and believed closing them was the best course of action.

If you do see a valve that is leaking, we ask that rather than close it, you call us, so we can get one of our staff out to fix the problem.

During working hours, phone 1800 013 357. Otherwise, you can phone our 24-line on 1800 064 184.

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, you can call our emergency number 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 our meters.

This spray is a pesticide that is being used to keep ants and other insects out of 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.