The Katunga Water Supply Protection Area (WSPA) incorporates parts of the flood plains of the Murray River, Broken Creek and the Goulburn River. The WSPA extends between Yarrawonga to Barmah and includes the towns of Strathmerton, Cobram, Numurkah and Nathalia.
The Katunga WSPA applies to groundwater at depths greater than 25 metres below the ground surface and is typically overlain by the Shepparton Irrigation Region Groundwater Management Area.
Facts and stats
Area: 2,100 km2
PCV: 60,577 ML
Allocations: 70%
Groundwater management
The Katunga WSPA Groundwater Management Plan was developed by a Consultative Committee appointed by the Minister for Water. The Plan was approved in 2006 and amended by a Consultative Committee in 2017.
The Plan provides the local community, and in particular licensed groundwater users, with information about the groundwater system and rules describing how the resource is managed.
Licence volume transfer when an allocation is in place
Please be aware that if you apply to transfer licence volume within the Katunga WSPA when an allocation is in place, the volume being transferred will also be reduced in line with allocation percentage.
How to calculate your allocation?
Licenced volume (ie 100 ML) x allocation (Katunga WSPA 70% )
100 x 0.70 = 70 ML available to use.
What happens if I want to transfer extra licence volume?
You will need to transfer additional water to account for the allocation.
If a buyer is seeking to transfer 101.5 ML for use in the current season, a seller would need to transfer 145 ML.
I.e. 145 x 0.70 = 101.5 ML
Alternately, 101.5 / 0.7 = 145 ML
Please note there may also be other scenarios such as multiple year or permanent licence volume transfers which may not work as shown above. Temporary licence volume transfers are also subject to meeting Prescriptions of the Plan, including a 125% limit rule for intensive areas. If you require further clarification on these please contact your local Diversion Inspector, or contact GMW on 1800 013 357 for assistance.
Resources
Annual summaries
Older annual reports available on request
Contacts
For further information or to obtain technical material relied upon for management arrangements, please contact the Groundwater and Streams section at GMW on 1800 013 357.