Agriculture
20 February, 2025
BREAKING NEWS: Water rationing for Boort, Dingee, Calivil farmers
HUNDREDS of irrigators in the Boort, Dingee and Calivil districts will have water rationed from March 5. Goulburn Murray Water this morning announced the start of rationing, just days after saying it was continuing to monitor water orders. In its...
HUNDREDS of irrigators in the Boort, Dingee and Calivil districts will have water rationed from March 5.
Goulburn Murray Water this morning announced the start of rationing, just days after saying it was continuing to monitor water orders.
In its statement just released, GMW says:
From 5 March, irrigators in sections of the Loddon Valley Irrigation Area will enter a rationingcycle. This area includes about 370 customers in and around Dingee, Calivil and Boort.
A rationing cycle — or rationing — is implemented by Goulburn-Murray Water (GMW) whenirrigation demand is expected to exceed channel capacity for several weeks.
It ensures customers continue to have access to water during this time by limiting the amountof water they can use, based on their delivery shares.
GMW Water Delivery Services general manager Warren Blyth said rationing was the bestand fairest solution under the current circumstances.
“There has been very little rain throughout summer, which has contributed to irrigationdemand being exceptionally high,” he said.
“Demand has now reached the point where a rationing cycle is needed to prevent irrigatorsfrom facing considerable delays in receiving their water.
“Rationing is a tool we look to only when other options have been exhausted, but insituations like these it is the best way to ensure fairness.”
In a rationing cycle, while irrigators may have water in their accounts, they will be limited totaking a percentage of their delivery share to ensure they receive their fair share of the
available capacity in the channel supplying their property.
Affected customers have been notified they will be entering a rationing cycle. During thecycle, customers will be entitled to 150 per centof their delivery shares at each service point per 10-
day cycle.
“We want to help our customers to be as well prepared as possible,” Mr Blyth said.“Given this is the first time we’ve implemented a rationing cycle since delivery shares wereintroduced, we are waiving the application fee for varying or transferring delivery shares foraffected customers.