Agriculture
31 January, 2025
WATER CURB THREAT
By CHRIS EARL IRRIGATORS across Loddon communities will be hit with water rationing within weeks. Goulburn Murray Water is blaming “one of the busiest” irrigation seasons in its 30-year history for the decision. But former GMW board member and...
By CHRIS EARL
IRRIGATORS across Loddon communities will be hit with water rationing within weeks.
Goulburn Murray Water is blaming “one of the busiest” irrigation seasons in its 30-year history for the decision.
But former GMW board member and Fernihurst irrigator Ken Pattison warns rationing is an ominous sign for the future as the Federal Government persists with water buybacks across the region.
GMW has called pop-up briefings in Boort next week. Water delivery services general manager Warren Blyth said it was “likely some irrigation systems within northern Victoria would enter a rationing cycle in early 2025”.
“We have delivered a significant amount of water to irrigators throughout the 2024-2025 irrigation season so far, and with conditions remaining dry, this is likely to continue,” he said.
“Water orders tend to peak in autumn, and we expect that in some parts of our system, orders may exceed what our channel network is capable of delivering.”
Mr Pattison slammed GMW for failing to consult with irrigators before raising the spectre of rationing.
“It’s a disaster. There’s no details but the fear is we will get just 10 per cent of the water we have already paid for,” he said.
“The threat of rationing shows GMW is totally removed from its customer base and is being driven by the 450GL buybacks.
“These disasters facing gravity irrigators in northern Victoria will be to the serious detriment of food and fibre production.
“We have already had the irrigation entitlement for the Boort and Pyramid Hill district halved in the past decade and now GMW can’t meet current demand ... before there are more buybacks.”
A GMW spokesman said: “Irrigation demand is high this irrigation season due to several reasons, including drier than usual conditions and high water availability.
“So far this season, we have delivered over 780,000 ML to irrigators. Over the past 10 irrigation seasons, the average amount of water delivered to irrigators at this part of the season is 448,000 ML.
“There isn’t a set trigger for when rationing is implemented. Broadly speaking, it is implemented when irrigation demand exceeds channel capacity for an extended period of time. It’s difficult to predict when rationing is most likely to occur but it is unlikely to happen before March.”