Modern, efficient and sustainable irrigation

Significant efforts have been made to integrate modernisation programs in northern Victoria, including:

As part of NVIRP (now the Goulburn-Murray Water Connections Project (GCP)), Commonwealth purchases linked to modernisation were exempted from the 4% rule before the rule was removed on 1 July 2014.

GMW is managing the integrated delivery of Connections Stages 1 and 2.

The rollout of on-farm modernisation programs are aligned with distribution system modernisation, i.e. to be eligible farms had to be connected to a backbone outlet approved by GMW or have a connections agreement.

Consideration has been given to structural works for delivery of environmental water (see section 16 of Connections Project Water Change Management Framework Version 3 2013)

The future delivery of the Connections Project will be guided by the reset that was announced on 3 June 2016.  Readers should refer to future specific project reporting for further information.

The Sunraysia Modernisation Project has pursued a number of integration opportunities, including facilitating environmental watering in Cardross Lakes and Woorlong Wetland system.

Action status: Complete

The updated Manual for Victoria's Salinity Accountability in the Murray-Darling Basin was published in April 2011. No changes have yet been made as a result of the Basin Plan. As noted in the action further changes may be required now the Basin Plan and new basin-wide salinity strategy have been released (Basin Salinity Management 2030).

Readers should refer to DEECA's website for any updates of the Manual.

Action status: Complete

Water use licences and annual use limits were introduced as part of unbundling in 2007 (see part 4B of the Water Act 1989, Ministerial Determination on Standard Water Use Conditions and Policies for Managing Water use Licences in Salinity Impact Zones.

The use of AULs to manage salinity impacts of new irrigation developments is described in the Mallee Region Salinity Register: Register Procedures Manual 2010 and reported in Victoria's annual Basin Salinity Management Strategy reports.

The salinity impacts of modernisation works is being assessed through existing procedures under Schedule B of the Murray-Darling Basin Agreement

The new Basin Salinity Management 2030 strategy commits to bringing environmental water fully into the salinity accountability framework.

Readers should refer to Basin Salinity Management 2030 reporting by the MDBA for updates on salinity accountability for environmental water.

Action status: Complete

Due to the availability of salinity credits, a rolling cap on AUL in Low Impacts Zones 3 and 4 is deemed to be no longer required (see page 27 of Murray-Darling Basin Salinity Management Strategy: Victoria's 2013/14 Annual Report).

The need to expand salinity impacts zones upstream of Nyah was investigated but deemed to be unnecessary (see RM Consulting Group (2011) Feasibility study regarding the potential business case for the targeted purchase of water-use licences or annual use limits)

The ability to transfer AUL in salinity impacts zones is documented in the Policies for Managing Water-Use Licences in Salinity Impact Zones