Melbourne
32.3 Surface water access entitlement for allocation diversion

Supporting Information

Surface water access entitlements for allocation diversion represents entitlements that relate to a water system where the flow of the river is regulated through the operation of major storages or weirs to secure water supplies.

Entitlements included are:

  • bulk entitlements issued to urban retail authorities within the Melbourne region
  • bulk entitlements issued to urban retail authorities outside the Melbourne region
  •  water shares issued to individual irrigators; classified as high reliability or low reliability water shares

 

Bulk entitlements for urban retail authorities within the Melbourne region

The following table presents bulk entitlements issued to urban retail authorities in the Melbourne region.

Bulk entitlements for urban retail authorities within the Melbourne region
Retail water authority bulk entitlement Volume (ML) Description
City West Water Yarra, Goulburn and Thomson1 555,000 Entitlement holders may
divert annually up to the
combined upper limit
South East Water
Yarra Valley Water
City West Water Tarago and Bunyip Rivers 30,510 Entitlement holders may
divert annually up to the
combined upper limit
South East Water
Yarra Valley Water
Western Water Melbourne Headworks 18,250 May divert annually up
to the upper limit
Total
603,760

1 The Bulk Entitlement for the Yarra, Goulburn and Thomson includes entitlements to water inside the region as well as water outside the region. The upper limit of the entitlement is not broken down by the source. Inter-region claims are described under 1.5 Inter-region claims to water.

Bulk entitlements for urban retail authorities outside the Melbourne region

The following table presents bulk entitlements issued to urban retail authorities outside the Melbourne region.

Bulk entitlements for urban retail authorities outside the Melbourne region
Retail water authority

Bulk entitlement

Volume (ML)

Description
Gippsland Water
 Tarago and Bunyip Rivers 4,825
 May divert annually up
to the upper limit
Total
4,825


Water shares for individual irrigators
High reliability water shares are water shares against which seasonal allocations are made as a first priority. They are expected to reach 100% allocations in 95 years out of 100.

Low reliability water shares are water shares with a relatively low reliability of supply. Allocations to these shares are made available once there is enough water to meet high reliability water shares in the current year, and, with minimum inflows, to meet a certain percentage of high reliability water shares in the following year.

Water allocations in the Melbourne region are determined by Southern Rural Water. Once issued, the holder of the entitlement to which allocations are made may divert or trade the water, subject to water trading rules.

At the end of the season unused water may be carried over into the next season, subject to carry-over rules.

The following table presents water shares in the Melbourne region. The majority of water shares are held in the Werribee Irrigation District. The volume of high-reliability water shares is double the volume of low-reliability water shares held in the region.


Water shares
Class Location Entitlement (ML)
High-reliability water shares Werribee Irrigation District 10,040
Werribee River 907
Bacchus Marsh Irrigation District 3,880
Lake Merrimu direct access 190
Bacchus Marsh other1 521
High-reliability water shares total 15,538
Low-reliability water shares Werribee Irrigation District 4,777
Werribee River 435
Bacchus Marsh Irrigation District 2,030
Low-reliability water shares total 7,242
Total all water shares 22,780

1 Represents entitlement holders that are outside of the designated irrigation district.


More information on entitlements in regulated water systems can be found on the Victorian Water Register website.