Seasonal determination update for 2014/15

Determination Data

Seasonal determinations for northern Victoria regulated river systems.

Further Information

Resource Manager for northern Victoria Mark Bailey today announced that seasonal determinations remain unchanged.

Seasonal determinations in the Murray, Goulburn, Campaspe and Loddon systems stay at 100 per cent of high reliability water shares (HRWS). The Broken and Bullarook systems remain at 100 per cent HRWS and 100 per cent of low-reliability water shares (LRWS).

"Fairly mild weather during January and early February meant system operating requirements were slightly lower than expected", said Dr Bailey. "However, inflows to the major storages stayed very low despite some useful rainfall. The very dry catchments meant very little of the rain reached rivers and streams.

"Under these conditions and the recent warmer weather, the chances of announcing seasonal determinations against low-reliability water shares in the Murray, Goulburn, Campaspe and Loddon systems this season remain slim."

Trading opportunities

Allocation trade from New South Wales (NSW) to Victoria is limited to the lesser of a net annual volume of 200 GL or the volume that keeps the risk of spill in the Murray system below 50 per cent.

The spill risk limit allows more than 200 GL of trade. Therefore, the net annual volume of 200 GL will apply unless advised otherwise. An update on trading opportunities will be issued with the next seasonal determination announcement on March 16, 2015.

The volume owed to the Murray system from the Goulburn system's inter-valley trade account is currently about 110 GL. Trade from the Goulburn, Campaspe and Loddon systems to the Victorian Murray, or to NSW and South Australia, is allowed while the total volume owed to the Murray is less than 200 GL.

The volume in the Broken system's inter-valley trade account is currently about 1,500 ML. Trade from the Broken system is allowed when the balance of this account is less than 1,500 ML. Further trading opportunities will be created when water is called out by the River Operator. Customers participating in the water trading market are reminded that allocation trading from the Broken system to other systems is only permitted from July 1 to March 31.

Customers participating in the water trading market can monitor trade availability on the Water Register website waterregister.vic.gov.au/water-trading/allocation-trading.

Customers participating in the water trading market are advised the trading of water allocations from above the Barmah Choke to downstream of the Choke is restricted to protect the delivery of downstream water entitlements. Trade to entitlement holders downstream of the Choke can only occur if there has been trade to entitlement holders upstream of the Choke. The Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) will regularly review the ability to trade across the Barmah Choke and may lift the restriction at any time during the season if possible. Trading opportunities across the Barmah Choke can be monitored on the MDBA website www.mdba.gov.au/river-data/barmah-choke.

Upcoming Resource Manager Announcements

The next seasonal determination and trading opportunity announcement will be issued on Monday, March 16, 2015 and the final announcement for 2014/15 will be issued on Wednesday, April 1, 2015.

For further information go to www.nvrm.net.au, waterregister.vic.gov.au, www.mdba.gov.au and
www.gmwater.com.au