The Lower Campaspe Valley Water Supply Protection Area (WSPA) was declared in June 2010 and extends from Lake Eppalock to the River Murray and incorporates the townships of Axedale, Goornong, Elmore, Lockington, Rochester and Echuca.
The Lower Campaspe Valley applies to the management of groundwater resources to all depths except where it is overlain by the Shepparton Irrigation Region Groundwater Management Area and the Campaspe West Salinity Management Plan area. In these areas the Lower Campaspe Valley WSPA applies to the management of groundwater resources from 25 metres to all depths.
Facts and stats
Area: 2,100 km2
PCV: 55,875 ML
Allocations:
100% for the following management zones: Elmore-Rochester Zone, Bamawm Zone and Echuca Zone
75% for Barnadown Zone
Groundwater management
The Lower Campaspe WSPA Groundwater Management Plan was endorsed by the consultative committee and was approved by the Minister for Water on 17 October 2012.
The Plan provides protection for existing users and the environment by supporting a cap on licence entitlement; restricting the extraction of groundwater when triggered; and placing limits on the concentration of groundwater pumping.
The Plan provides licence holders with the opportunity to better manage their entitlements through the introduction of carryover and permanent trade.
Licence volume transfer when an allocation is in place
Please be aware that if you apply to transfer licence volume within the Lower Campaspe 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 (i.e. 100 ML) x allocation (Lower Campaspe Valley WSPA 75% )
100 x 0.75 = 75 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 101.4 ML for use in the current season, a seller would need to transfer 135.3 ML.
I.e. 135.3 x 0.75 = 101.4 ML
Alternately, 101.5 / 0.75 = 135.3 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.
Real-time bore level information
The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) has developed a Water Measurement Information System, with data collected through the Regional Water Monitoring Partnerships.
To access data on the Lower Campaspe Valley WSPA, follow these steps:
- Go to the Water Monitoring website.
- Click "Find a Site" under the "State Observation Bore Network" tab on the left; or the observation bore can be selected through the mapping function.
- Enter bore "62589" for the Barnadown zone; or "79324" for the Northern zones; then click "Search".
- A box will appear - click on the blue bore number you entered.
- Select the "data" tab. In the "Period" option, select a timeframe longer than today - i.e. select yesterday, last seven days, this month, etc.
- Select "Get output"
- Deduct 0.6m from the level, as the reading does not take into account the 0.6m of casing above the natural surface, eg. if the reading says 8.3m, then the actual water level is 7.7m below natural surface.
The relationship of groundwater levels to seasonal determinations is explained in the relevant management plan above.
Water Monitoring website
Resources
Annual summaries
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.