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Water share
A water share is a legally recognised, secure share of the water available to be taken from a water system. Water shares may be high-reliability or low-reliability, and are specified as a maximum volume of seasonal allocation that may be made against that share.
Seasonal allocations allocations will depend on how much water is available in each water system. During a drought the seasonal water allocation might be only 50 per cent. This means a person with a 100 ML high-reliability water share will be allocated 50 ML of water use in the drought year.
A former water right or take and use licence was converted straight into a high-reliability water share. One hundred megalitres (ML) of water right became 100 ML of high-reliability water share.
Access to sales water was converted into a low-reliability water share. The volume of these shares was scaled down to more closely match the water available in each water system.
In northern Victoria, as the result of the landmark sales water agreement between farmers and the Government, 20 per cent of the new low-reliability entitlements have been given to the environment.
Delivery share
A delivery share provides an entitlement to have water delivered to land in an irrigation district. When a delivery system is congested it provides a share of the available water flow.
The delivery share is linked to land and stays with the property if the water share is traded away.
Irrigators who do not need part or all of their delivery share after unbundling can either:
- continue paying to maintain and renew the delivery system’s infrastructure
- surrender part or all of their delivery share and pay a termination fee.
 Directions on delivery entitlements (PDF - 413 KB).
Where a water authority wishes to close down a channel or other delivery service and it cannot reach agreement readily with all of the affected property owners, the water authority will need to go through the process of preparing a reconfiguration plan.
Directions for reconfiguration plans (PDF - 247 KB).
Water-use licence
A water-use licence allows an irrigator to use water for irrigation.
Conditions that previously applied to water use have been transferred to the new licences, at least initially so the new arrangements will not have any effects on what existing irrigators can do.
The water-use licence includes an annual use limit and recognises existing approved drainage.
It is attached to a specific parcel or parcels of land, and runs with the land if the land is sold, unless part of the property is sold separately.
Water-use objectives (PDF - 105 KB)
Standard water-use conditions (PDF - 689 KB)
Policies for managing water-use licences in Salinity Impact Zones (PDF - 331 KB)
Water-use licences in Salinity Impact Zones maps (PDF - 1.3 MB)
Works licence
Conditions previously required by water authorities and catchment management authorities for works licences have now been standardised across Victoria. To find out more click on the PDF below.
Policies for managing works licences (PDF - 393 KB)
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