Water Register open for 2016-17
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At 10.00am this morning (8 July 2016) we will open the Victorian Water Register including access to 'My Water' and online allocation trading.
We have now completed all necessary end of financial year water accounting tasks. We trust there has been minimal disruption to your business operations and we appreciate your support during this process.
Barmah Choke trade restrictions to continue
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On 17 June 2016, the Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) announced that the current restriction on trading water from upstream of the Barmah Choke to buyers downstream of the Choke will continue into the 2016-17 water year.
As explained in the MDBA's media release, the volume that can be traded through the Choke will be reset on 1 July 2016, with an annual adjustment made to take account of water savings transferred to the Snowy scheme. This will result in an opening balance close to 26,000 megalitres available to be traded from above to below the Barmah Choke.
Any further net trade above this balance will only be possible if the same or greater net volume of water has been traded from downstream to upstream of the choke first.
Key dates for end of 2015/16 financial year
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The Victorian Water Register will be closed while we complete the end of year accounting to roll over from the 2015-16 water year to 2016-17.
On-line services will be suspended from 5pm AEST on 30 June 2016 until 10am AEST on 8 July 2016.
Understanding the NSW to Victoria trade limit
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If you are planning to trade water, you need to keep an eye on the status of the trade limits that might affect you.
Allocation trade from New South Wales to Victoria is limited to the lesser of a net annual volume of 200 gigalitres (GL) or a volume that keeps the risk of spill in Victoria’s share the Murray system below 50 per cent. The spill risk limit currently allows more than 200 GL of trade, and so the net annual volume of 200 GL applies unless advised otherwise.
New water market trends report available
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A new report on trends in the Victorian water market is now available, providing important insights into current trends in water trade as well as factors impacting the price of allocation water.
Early in the 2015/16 irrigation season, irrigation communities in northern Victoria expressed concerns about high water prices, and asked for information about the impact of environmental water recovery and the role of speculators in influencing water prices.
This report provides an analysis of data in the Victorian Water Register on trends in the water market over the past 10 to 15 years, and trade patterns between different water users in recent seasons.
2015 Audit of brokers that use the Broker Portal/API
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The annual audit of water brokers who use the Water Register’s Broker Portal/API (referred to as the portal) for making allocation trades online has been completed for the 2014-15 financial year.
The portal allows brokers to lodge allocation trades online on behalf of their customers at a reduced cost for near-instant processing in most cases. In 2014-15 this service facilitated 9,170 allocation trades (65 percent of all trades).
By 2014-15 18 brokers had entered into an agreement with the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) to use the portal. The Agreement specifies requirements that the brokers must comply with when using the portal.
Read more: 2015 Audit of brokers that use the Broker Portal/API
Website not available 10am-5pm Sunday 25th October
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The Victorian Water Register will be upgraded on Sunday. During that time the register website will not be available. This includes all My Water services - broker portal, online allocation trading and online BCL applications.
Apologies for any inconvenience caused.
2014-15 water trading report
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The Victorian Water Trading Annual Report for 2014-15 is now available.
This report provides the definitive point for referencing Victorian water trade information and summarises all water trades recorded in the Victorian Water Register during 2014-15. It presents information about the number, volume, price and location of trades for water shares, allocation, and groundwater and surface water take and use licences.
2014-15 water entitlements and use report
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Summary information about all water entitlements and use recorded in the Victorian Water Register is now available in the report below.
Online BCLs saving Victorians time and money
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Landholders, drillers and consultants can now apply online for licences to construct water bores (BCLs) for domestic and stock use, investigation and observation.
It is now easier, faster and cheaper to get a licence with same day approvals in most cases.
- Fees for one online applications are around 50% less than paper application fees.
- Online fees will be the same across all water corporations
- There will no longer be additional fees for extra bores when applying online.
Applications are automatically processed and licences issued on the spot in most cases.
Water Register open for 2015-16
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At 10.00am this morning (6 July 2015) we will open the Victorian Water Register including access to 'My Water' and online allocation trading.
We have now completed all necessary end of financial year water accounting tasks. We trust there has been minimal disruption to your business operations and we appreciate your support during this process.
Release of Ministerial Guidelines for Protection of Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems
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The Ministerial Guidelines for Groundwater Licensing and the Protection of High Value Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems are now available here.
Applications for new groundwater entitlements or to trade groundwater will now be assessed against these guidelines so that high value groundwater dependent ecosystems are protected.
Read more: Release of Ministerial Guidelines for Protection of Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems
Release of the 2013-14 Victorian Water Accounts
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The Victorian Water Accounts 2013-14 is now available.
This report is the 11th in the annual series, and summarises Victoria’s water availability, distribution and use for the 2013-14 year. Data in the report is provided by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, water businesses, catchment management authorities, the Essential Services Commission, the Bureau of Meteorology, and major water users.
A copy of this report for the previous 2012-13 year is available here.
Barmah Choke trade restrictions to continue
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On 10 June 2015, the Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) announced that trading water from above the Barmah Choke to below the choke will continue to be restricted into the 2015-16 water year.
As explained in the MDBA's media release this will mean that on 1 July 2015 no allocation will be able to be traded from upstream to downstream of the Choke until there has been equivalent trade in the opposite direction.
Trading through the Choke
If you plan to trade water through the Choke, you or your broker need to keep an eye on any trading limits that apply to you.
- You can check the available trade opportunity through the Choke by visiting the MDBA’s website.
- For other trading opportunities and limits that may affect your ability to trade you can visit the allocation and trade opportunities page on the Victorian water register website at http://waterregister.vic.gov.au/water-trading/allocation-trading
Key dates for end of 2014/15 financial year
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The Victorian Water Register will be closed while we complete end of financial year accounting.
On-line services will be suspended from 5pm 30 June 2015 for the end of financial year. Interstate allocation trades submitted via the Broker Portal or the Broker API will be processed manually from 19 June until 30 June 2015.
The following on-line services will not be available:
- Broker portal
- ‘My Water’ access and on-line allocation trading
- Copy of Record purchases
The following reports will also not be available:
- Trade opportunities and limits report
- Unused water report
All services will be available once again at 10:00am on 6 July 2015.
In relation to trading allocation before end of financial year please note;
- 19 June 2015 is the last day to submit paper-based allocation trade applications to your water corporation to be sure of having an application processed. Water Corporations will attempt to finalise applications submitted later than that, but cannot guarantee it.
- Allocation trade applications made via the broker portal or API may be submitted until 5pm on Monday 30 June 2015 for instant approval. However, for an interstate application or any application that is referred for manual processing, the manual dates apply - submit by 19 June 2015 to be sure of having an application processed.
Broken trade-out finishing for this season
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Allocation trade out of the Broken system will close for this season on 31 March 2015. Trade applications received after 31 March will not be approved.
This closing date is part of the trading rule introduced on 1 July 2014 which allows allocation trade from the Broken to downstream systems subject to the following limits:
- Undelivered trade-out must not exceed 1,500 ML
- No trade after 31 March and before 1 July in any year
2013-14 water trading report
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The Victorian Annual Water Trading Report for 2013/14 is now available.
Copies of reports from previous years are available here.
2013-14 water use by irrigators, towns & the environment
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The second annual report on water availability for irrigators, town supplies and the environment in northern Victoria, and how it was used, is now available. These reports are based on water available to use or trade under Victorian water shares and bulk and environmental entitlements recorded in the Water Register in the Murray, Goulburn and Campaspe systems in 2013-14.
Read more: 2013-14 water use by irrigators, towns & the environment
MDBA reinstates Barmah Choke trade restriction
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On Tuesday 28 October 2014, the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) announced that it was reinstating the trading rule that restricts allocation trade from upstream of the Barmah Choke to downstream.
This is the first time since September 2007 that the trading rule has been reinstated. You can read the MDBA’s media release at http://www.mdba.gov.au.
Trading through the Choke
This means that allocation trade from upstream to downstream of the Choke is now limited. It can occur only if allocation is traded from below to above the Choke after 28 October 2014. This limit applies to trade applications received after 5pm on 28 October 2014.
Online applications for trade out of zone 6 (above Barmah Choke) will be referred to Goulburn Murray Water for manual processing, and will therefore not receive an instant response.
If you plan to trade water through the Choke, you or your broker needs to keep an eye on any trading limits that apply to you.
- You can check the available trade opportunity through the Choke by visiting MDBA’s website, at http://www.mdba.gov.au/managing-water/water-markets-trade/interstate-water-trade/barmah-choke-trade-balance
- For other trading opportunities and limits that may affect your ability to trade you can visit the allocation and trade opportunities page on the Victorian water register website at http://waterregister.vic.gov.au/water-trading/allocation-trading
Note that currently this page uses only Victorian limits and ignores the MDBA Barmah Choke limit. It may therefore show an opportunity where it does not really exist. - The same limitation applies to the feasibility check for online trades.
Why has this trading rule been reinstated?
The Barmah Choke is a narrow section of the Murray River between Tocumwal and Barmah that has a limited capacity and constrains the volume of water that can be passed to downstream users.
When this capacity is reached, delivery of water allocation that has been traded from upstream to downstream cannot be guaranteed. Under the Murray-Darling Basin Agreement, MDBA can reinstate the trading limit if it feels that there are potential delivery problems.
First annual audit of water brokers complete
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The first annual audit of water brokers who use the Water Register’s Broker Portal to lodge allocation trades online has been completed with positive results.
The Broker Portal was established in November 2013. Since then, more than 15 brokers have entered into an agreement with the Department of Environment and Primary Industries (DEPI) to use the portal.
The portal allows brokers to lodge allocation trades online on behalf of their customers at a reduced cost, with near-instant results in most cases. More than 50% of all allocation trades completed in Victoria are now lodged through the portal with over 6,000 trades submitted successfully since it was launched.