Melbourne
32.3 Surface water access entitlement for allocated diversions

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 water authorities within the Melbourne region
  • bulk entitlements issued to urban retail water authorities within the Melbourne region to water outside the region
  • bulk entitlements issued to urban retail water 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 water authorities within the Melbourne region

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

Bulk entitlements for urban retail water authorities within the Melbourne region
Entitlement holder Bulk entitlement Entitlement volume (ML) Additional info
City West Water Tarago and Bunyip rivers                               30,510 Entitled to a share of storage capacity in the Tarago Reservoir. Entitled to divert up to the average annual entitlement limit.
South East Water
Yarra Valley Water
City West Water Yarra River                             400,000 Entitled to a share of storage capacity of all reservoirs with the Yarra Catchment. Entitled to divert up to the average annual entitlement limit.
South East Water
Yarra Valley Water
Western Water Gisborne— Barringo Creek  320 Entitled to divert up to the average annual entitlement limit
Western Water Lancefield  315 Entitled to divert up to the annual entitlement limit
Western Water Macedon and Mount Macedon  645 Entitled to a share of storage capacity in several smaller storaes. Entitled to divert up to the average annual entitlement limit
Western Water Maribyrnong  6,100 Entitled to a share (86%) of storage capacity in the Rosslynne Reservoir. Entitled to divert up to the annual entitlement limit.
Western Water Riddells Creek  300 Entitled to divert up to the annual entitlement limit
Western Water Romsey  460 Entitled to divert up to the annual entitlement limit
Western Water Myrniong  58 Entitled to divert up to the annual entitlement limit
Western Water Werribee System  9,986 Entitled to a share (60%) of storage capacity in Lake Merrimu and entitled to all storage capacity in Djerriwarrh Reservoir (980 ML at full supply level). Entitled to divert up to the average annual entitlement limit.
Western Water Melbourne headworks system1  18,250 Entitled to divert up to the annual entitlement limit
Total  466,944  

1 The Melbourne Headworks system includes storages that harvest water from protected water supply catchments: Thomson Reservoir, Yarra River, Silver and Wallaby creeks, Tarago and Bunyip rivers. It also includes water from the Victorian desalination project and the Northern Victoria Irrigation Renewal Project.

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

Bulk entitlements issued to urban retail water authorities within the Melbourne region to water outside the region
Entitlement holder Bulk entitlement Entitlement volume (ML) Additional info
City West Water Thomson River 171,800 Entitled to a share of storage capacity and inflows (up to 1,068,100 ML) in the Thomson Reservoir. Entitled to divert up to the average annual entitlement limit.
South East Water
Yarra Valley Water
City West Water Silver and Wallaby creeks 66,000 Entitled to divert up to the annual entitlement limit.
South East Water
Yarra Valley Water
Total  237,800  

Bulk entitlements for urban retail water authorities outside the Melbourne region

The following table presents bulk entitlements issued to urban retail water 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
Entitled to divert up to the annual entitlement limit
Total
4,825

Water shares for individual irrigators

High reliability water shares (HRWS) 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 (LRWS) 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.

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 entitlement volumes in the Melbourne region during the 2011 –12 year
Class Location Entitlement volume (ML)
HRWS
Werribee Irrigation District 10,040
Werribee River 1,097
Bacchus Marsh Irrigation District 3,880
HRWS total
15,017
LRWS
Werribee Irrigation District 4,777
Werribee River 435
Bacchus Marsh Irrigation District 1,815
LRWS total
7,027
Total all water shares 22,043
Other Bacchus Marsh Irrigation District—supply by agreement 474
Total entitlement volume
22,518

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