Final seasonal determination update for 2014/15

Determination Data

Seasonal determinations for northern Victoria regulated river systems.

Further Information

Resource Manager for northern Victoria Andrew Shields today announced that seasonal determinations will remain unchanged for the remainder of 2014/15.

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).

"Available resources have not increased since the last assessment on March 16," Mr Shields said.

"While seasonal determinations against low-reliability water shares in the Murray, Goulburn, Campaspe and Loddon systems were not announced this season these systems have good reserves for the 2015/16 season. This means each of these systems will receive an opening high-reliability water share seasonal determination on July 1, 2015."

Trading opportunities

The volume owed to the Murray system from the Goulburn system's inter-valley trade (IVT) account is currently about 5 GL. Trade from the Goulburn, Campaspe and Loddon systems to the Victorian Murray, or to New South Wales (NSW) and South Australia, is allowed while the total volume owed to the Murray is less than 200 GL. Trade into the Goulburn, Campaspe and Loddon systems from the Victorian Murray, NSW and South Australia is allowed when the balance of the relevant IVT accounts is greater than zero. Note that trading opportunities to zones further upstream than Zone 3 (Lower Goulburn) are also subject to the Upper Goulburn IVT account which currently has a lower balance (about 1 GL).

Allocation trade out of the Broken system closed for this season on March 31. Trade applications received after March 31 will not be approved. Trade from the Broken system will reopen in early July, as soon as the necessary end of financial year water accounting tasks are completed in the Victorian Water Register.

Allocation trade from 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 currently allows more than 200 GL of trade. Therefore, the net annual volume of 200 GL will apply for the remaining months of the 2014/15 season unless advised otherwise.

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 http://www.mdba.gov.au/river-data/barmah-choke/.

Upcoming Resource Manager announcements

The outlook for seasonal determinations in the 2015/16 season will be updated on Friday, May 15, 2015.

The first seasonal determination, risk of spill and trading opportunity announcement for the 2015/16 season will be issued on Wednesday, July 1, 2015.

For further information go to http://www.nvrm.net.au/, waterregister.vic.gov.au, http://www.mdba.gov.au/ and http://www.g-mwater.com.au/