Water Glossary

Water is allocated each year for use during the Irrigation Season – which generally extends from 15 August to 15 May. The allocation refers to the water that is actually available for GMW customers to use or trade during the irrigation season. This amount will vary depending on how full storages are and if the amount of rain there has been.

‘Allocation’ can also refer to the water that is actually in the dam in any given year that is allocated against water shares.

Usually a hole constructed to reach groundwater. To drill for groundwater you must first obtain a Bore Construction License from GMW.

A legal right to use and supply water in a waterway, GMWs storage works, and groundwater.

The bulk entitlement can include how much water can be taken and under what circumstance it can be taken.

Bulk entitlements can be traded temporarily or permanently.

An arrangement that allows GMW entitlement holders to take unused water allocations from one season into the next season to use and/or trade.

GMW has different carryover rules for different systems.

Carryover is not available to water entitlement holders on the Ovens and King systems or in the Tungamah and Loddon water districts, where water storages are too small to support carryover.

CMS is an acronym for Content Management System, a software product that allows website owners and operators to manage information that is travelling in and out of their website.

One such content management system is cm3 Acora CMS. Learn more at www.cm3cms.com.

Used in the Goulburn-Murray Irrigation districts as a way of providing rights to irrigators to access water delivery infrastructure via a channel or piped network.

Delivery share is part of the fixed charges paid by irrigators, and guarantees the holder access to the irrigation system. It helps to share the costs of operation and maintenance across all GMW users.

Delivery share is tied to the land and stays with the property if it is bought or sold. It also stays with the property if the water share is sold separately.

The infrastructure or river system that enables water to get to entitlement holders.

GMW’s systems include an irrigation areas, catchments and aquifers.

GMW’s Diversions team is responsible for the licensing and management of services to customers who extract water via private works from regulated and unregulated rivers and streams; groundwater bores; and from dams.

Our diversion inspectors provide information and advice to these customers and also make recommendations for approval on a range of surface and groundwater licensing matters.

GMW customers’ right to take/use/extract/have water delivered that may be limited by conditions.

Different entitlements are necessary depending on where and how water is taken, and what it is then used for.

The most common types of entitlements are water shares, delivery shares, water-use licences, take and use licences, water allowances, supplies by agreement and works licences.

A share of the total amount of water that can be drawn from regulated rivers at a certain point over a given period of time.

GMW uses extraction shares to restrict water extraction in times of high demand.

The Goulburn-Murray Irrigation District (GMID) system is the largest irrigation system in Victoria. It covers 9,950 square kilometres and accounts for more than 70 per cent of water stored in Victoria and almost 90 per cent of water used in irrigation across the State.

It is broken into five distinct irrigation areas.

A statutory corporation established under Victoria's Water Act 1989

GMW delivers rural water for irrigation, domestic and stock, and environmental purposes in northern Victoria.

GMW manages water related services in a region of 68,000 square kilometres, stretching from Swan Hill, to Wodonga, to Omeo, to Maryborough.

For more information head to About GMW - Goulburn Murray Water (g-mwater.com.au)

Groundwater is water found beneath the earth's surface in pores and crevices of sand and rocks.

Groundwater supports a significant amount of agricultural activity, commercial operations, provides urban supplies, and is an essential source of water for domestic and stock supply. It’s also an important environmental asset that provides base flow to streams and supports wetlands and other groundwater dependent ecosystems.

GMW issues and administers groundwater licences and develops and implements management plans on behalf of the Minister.

Legally recognised, secure entitlement to a defined share of water.

Water shares are classed by their reliability, which is defined by how often full seasonal allocations are expected to be available.

Allocations are made to high-reliability water shares before low-reliability shares.

Legally recognised, secure entitlement to a defined share of water.

Water shares are classed by their reliability, which is defined by how often full seasonal allocations are expected to be available.

Allocations are made to high-reliability water shares before low-reliability shares.

A water share with a relatively low reliability of supply.

On all GMW’s systems except the Broken and Ovens, these will be shares of the available water once there is enough water to meet higher-reliability water shares in the current year, and, with minimum inflows, to meet higher-reliability water shares in the following year.

A water share with a relatively low reliability of supply.

On all GMW’s systems except the Broken and Ovens, these will be shares of the available water once there is enough water to meet higher-reliability water shares in the current year, and, with minimum inflows, to meet higher-reliability water shares in the following year.

The Resource Manager makes seasonal determinations for all northern Victorian regulated river systems including the Goulburn, Broken, Campaspe, Loddon, Bullarook, and Murray regulated river systems.

The Minister for Water appointed GMW to undertake this role in accordance with Victorian water sharing rules.

An occupier can hold licences over the land with the owner’s permission and can apply water to the land.

In certain circumstances GMW requires a statutory declaration from people intending to become occupiers.

A system of streams, creeks and rivers that is controlled or ‘regulated' by water storages which allow the water to be released when it is required.

Almost all GMW systems are regulated systems.

Previously referred to as “seasonal allocation”, this is the percentage of water share volume available under current resource conditions determined by the Resource Manager for northern Victorian regulated river systems.

Seasonal determinations in Northern Victoria are updated on the 1st and 15th of every month or the next business day, until the seasonal determination reaches 100% for high-reliability water shares.

The Resource Manager for Northern Victoria also provides a “Seasonal Outlook” ahead of a new irrigation season which estimates indications of the determinations for each system based on a range of seasonal conditions and scenarios.

The location where water enters an individual farm from the communal water system. Also called an outlet.

When there is more water in supply than demand for water and there is water discharged from the storage.

An agreement between GMW and a person giving an entitlement to water for defined period.

Supplies by agreement usually cover less reliable water sources, such as drainage water, or areas where supply is not guaranteed.

GMW uses these to manage trade by defining the area where trade can occur and if there are any set conditions.

Trading Zones set out the known supply source or management arrangements and the physical realities of relevant supply systems within the zone.

Refers to the change in ownership of a water share. Can also be used to refer to temporary or permanent trade of bundled entitlements.

When the entitlement previously called a “water right”, or a “take and use licence” in a declared water system, is converted into three separate entitlements: a water share, a delivery share/extraction share, and a water-use licence.

Unbundling allows GMW customers to increase the opportunities and flexibility in the holding of water entitlements as it allows components to be managed independently and water to be owned separate to land.

An arrangement under which GMW supplies water to a customer in its water district, under terms and conditions set by the corporation.

Organisations – such as GMW – charged with supplying water to people in towns, farmers and other water users for urban, industrial and commercial use.

They administer the diversion of water from waterways and the extraction of groundwater.

GMW is Australia’s largest rural water corporation and manages 70 per cent of Victoria’s stored water, servicing more than 20,000 customers.

The Victorian Water Register is a public register that records water-related entitlements in the state.

It holds water shares recorded by the Water Registrar, together with mortgages and limited term transfers (leases) relevant to these water shares, records of licences to take and use surface water and groundwater, and records of works-related licences.

The register also holds records of water allocations available in the current season and tracks and reconciles volumes of water entitlements by water system and trading zone.

A legally recognised, ongoing entitlement to a share of the water available in a specific GMW water system.

Water shares define the volume of “storage space” you “own” in the dams and storages that service your regulated river system.

It gives the owner a right to a share of water in the dams.

GMW's online and telephone water ordering system.

WaterLINE allows customers to place irrigation orders, communicate with GMW and monitor their water usage based on the allocation and entitlement they hold.

A licence that authorises the use of water for the purposes of irrigation on the land specified in that licence.

These licences can include:

Registration Licences

An ongoing entitlement to take and use water from a GMW catchment dam, spring or soak.
Registration licences were issued between 1 July 2002 and 30 June 2003 based on historical use of water.
Registration licences are not tradeable, and do not need to be renewed.

Take and Use Licences

Either a fixed term or ongoing entitlement to take and use water from a GMW waterway, catchment dam, spring, soak or aquifer.

A Take and Use License sets the volume that a person can in a year and other associated conditions.