Updated 28 April 2025
FAQ - End of season preparations for Loddon Valley Irrigation Area
When will rationing end?
GMW removed the rationing restrictions for customers in the Loddon Valley Irrigation Area effective 28 April 2025.
What works are GMW planning to complete over the winter period?
Our winter works program will see important maintenance works being carried out in the Loddon Valley Irrigation Area. The works in the region include channel refurbishment, desilting and weed removal. All of these will aid water deliveries during future periods of high demand.
The winter works will also see most channels being emptied to allow inspections and frosting of exposed weeds. Our dewatering program will be the most comprehensive campaign in more than a decade.
What can I do to prepare for the end of season?
Fill your dams and tanks
During winter, we cannot guarantee that you will have access to water from the channel network for domestic and stock or irrigation purposes. Your channel could be drawn down at any time after the irrigation season ends.
We encourage our gravity irrigation and domestic and stock customers to plan ahead for their winter water needs and fill their dams and tanks before 10 May 2025 to guarantee a winter water supply.
If you are unable to fill your dams and tanks due to current rationing restrictions, please phone GMW on 1800 013 357 to discuss your needs. Alternatively, you may contact a local water carter or check the list of emergency water supply points available on the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action website.
Consider your carryover options
Customers can carry over their unused water allocation from one irrigation season, to the next based on the local carryover rules.
Carryover allows water entitlement holders on the Murray, Broken, Goulburn, Campaspe, Loddon and Bullarook systems to take their unused water allocation into the next season.
For entitlements held in the Goulburn and Campaspe systems customers need to factor spillable water allocation rules into their carryover planning for 2025/26.
If you have unused water you wish to carryover, it’s important to link your allocation account to a water share, limited term transfer of a water share, or supply by agreement before 30 June 2025.
For more information about carryover, calculating, using, trading or relinquishing water allocations, you can:
Is rationing possible next season in the Loddon Valley?
Yes. While channel performance is one factor in determining the need for rationing, other factors include weather conditions, irrigation demand and the availability of water via the Loddon Bulk Entitlement (Loddon Supplement). The Loddon Supplement can sometimes be used to avoid or delay rationing, however, replenishment of the supplement is dependent on seasonal conditions, catchment inflows and will only begin to refill with rainfall.
FAQ - Loddon system water option for Loddon Valley Irrigation Area
Why is GMW now allowing customers to access water from another trading zone?
Tagged allocation accounts are not new. Customers have always had the ability to hold a 5A/1A or 5A/1B tagged allocation account, with water delivered subject to rationing (subject to trading rules). GMW has identified that rationed customers may be able to receive delivery of more water if it is sourced from the Loddon water system (trading zone 5A).
Why wasn’t it available at the start of rationing?
GMW’s focus is ensuring customers have fair and equitable access to the delivery of water.
This option has been developed since the initial ration commenced, as an alternative source of water.
It has been important for GMW to:
- consider the impact on operations and other customers
- confirm that the Loddon water system delivery option was fair and did not adversely affect other customers
- confirm it was acting in accordance with its legal obligations
- carefully assess the changing situation
- consider all options.
How do I get access to this option? What is the process and how long does it take?
To explore this option, you must meet the criteria. Please see the Eligibility criteria and Next steps sections of this webpage for more information on the criteria and process.
Is there any cost associated with setting up the tagged allocation account?
There is no cost for a Form 43 - Application for a new allocation account. A Form 40 - Application to Link Multiple Water Shares and/or Multiple Water-Use Licences to a Single Allocation Account has an application fee of $98.60 for each water share and each water-use licence added to the allocation account. Plus, any allocation trades requested under 3B of Form 40 will incur a fee of $98.60 per trade.
What is the water availability in the Loddon system?
The current seasonal determination for the Loddon system (zone 5A) is 100 per cent of high-reliability water shares. At the most recent assessment on 1 April 2025, there was approximately 11,300 ML of allocation held by private owners for use or trade or both (see NVRM Current Water Ownership webpagefor more information).
The outlook for seasonal determinations next water year (2025-26) announced on 17 February 2025 indicates average inflow conditions would provide for 100 per cent of high-reliability water shares by mid-October 2025. Dry conditions, similar to those experienced this year, may see the seasonal determination reach a maximum of 77 per cent by mid-February 2026. See more details at the NVRM Current Outlook webpage.
Prospective sellers and buyers of Loddon allocation should consider water availability in their decisions.
How do I purchase water allocation?
Please contact a water broker.
FAQ - Rationing irrigation water supply
What is rationing?
Rationing is the sharing of available channel capacity when demand exceeds channel capacity.
How will it affect me?
Your ordered volume or the time you requested your order may be altered to a reduced volume or reduced duration in accordance with the amount of delivery share you hold and the duration of the ration cycle.
Why do I need to be rationed?
It is only physically possible to have so much water in our channels. When large amounts of water are ordered, our channels reach capacity, and subsequent changes must be made.
In instances where demand exceeds capacity for only a short period, we will schedule irrigation orders - linking start orders with finish orders. This means customers will need to be flexible with start dates and times to fit in with available capacity.
In some locations, where demand exceeds capacity for an extended period, we will use a rationing cycle. This ensures all customers receive a fair supply as we manage congestion.
How is rationing cycle determined?
The rationing cycle is guided by a formula. The formula has two variable inputs:
- the number of days in the cycle
- the percentage (%) of delivery share.
For example, a 10-day rationing cycle at 100% delivery share rate will allow customers to receive 100 per cent of their delivery share every 10 days. In this example, a customer with 1ML/day delivery share will be able to access 10ML in every 10-day cycle.
This formula is applied to the delivery shares for each service point.
When did rationing commence for parts of the Loddon Valley Irrigation Area?
Parts of the Loddon Valley Irrigation Area entered a rationing cycle from 5 March 2025.
When did rationing end for parts of the Loddon Valley Irrigation Area?
GMW removed the rationing restrictions for customers in the Loddon Valley Irrigation Area on 28 April 2025, effective immediately.
Does it cost me anything?
No, there will not be any additional costs charged to your GMW account.
Will I be charged for casual use?
Access during rationing events is based on delivery share held by the customer at each service point. The larger the delivery share, the greater the volume that can be accessed during a rationing cycle.
A customer’s Annual Delivery Allowance (ADA) is their total delivery share (ML/day) multiplied by 270 for gravity irrigation areas and by 365 days for pumped irrigation districts.
Any water used in excess of a customer’s ADA is called casual use. A casual use fee will apply to each megalitre of water delivered during the season in excess of the ADA. This is raised at the end of the irrigation season on the Variable Charge Account. Rationing does not impact whether a customer is charged casual use.
For example, if a customer in a gravity irrigation area has a total of 1 ML/d of delivery share, their ADA is 270 ML. If they used 300 ML in the season, casual use would be charged for 30 ML.
Any applications to move delivery share to avoid casual use charges will need to be completed prior to the end of the season.
Does it affect domestic and stock supply?
Rationing does not affect domestic and stock supply.
What if I ignore the rationing and take what I intended to order?
Operating outside the rationing criteria will impact the service to other customers and will therefore be investigated by GMW’s Compliance Officers and may lead to prosecution.
I pay more for water, why don’t I get priority treatment?
Access during rationing events is based on delivery share held by the customer at each service point. The larger the delivery share, the greater the volume that can be accessed during a rationing cycle.
Will I be notified when changes to the rationing arrangements are made?
Yes, messages will be updated on WaterLINE whenever changes are made to the rationing arrangements. You may also be contacted by a Water Systems Operator about your order.
Will the 10-day rationing cycle start on the same day for all impacted customers?
No. The start of a customer's 10-day rationing cycle depends on when they place their irrigation order, and applies to each service point individually.
For example:
- If a customer orders water to start irrigating on 6 March, their 10-day cycle will begin on 6 March
- If another customer orders water for 10 March, their cycle will start on 10 March.
GMW's announcement that rationing will begin for parts of the Loddon Valley Irrigation Area on 5 March means that all irrigation from this date onward will be subject to the 10-day rationing cycle, until announced otherwise.
Why hasn’t GMW used the water available in the Loddon Bulk Entitlement (Loddon Supplement) to avoid rationing in the Loddon Valley Irrigation Area?
Any supplementary water available through the Loddon Bulk Entitlement is exhausted. The water was used to meet time-critical irrigation demand during spring.
Does the current Loddon River environmental flow impact irrigation delivery in the Boort region?
No, the environmental flow is using Loddon system allocation held by the Victorian Environmental Water Holder. It is occurring independently of Goulburn Murray Irrigation District irrigation deliveries and is not impacting irrigation deliveries.
The purpose of environmental flows is to maintain or improve the health of rivers and wetlands with the aim of achieving key ecological objectives such as:
- fish movement and breeding
- improvement in water quality and both land and plant vegetation health
- enhancing bird breeding, feeding and roosting opportunities.
Environmental flows in Victoria are regulated under Environmental Entitlements that provide rivers and wetlands with water exclusively for environmental use.