A feature of an allocation account where spillable water is recorded before the resource manager for northern Victoria declares a low risk of spill.

It keeps track of casual access to storage space, and the water that could spill as the storages in northern Victoria fill.

An agreement between a water corporation and a person giving an entitlement to water for defined period.

Supplies by agreement usually cover less reliable water sources, like drainage water, or areas where supply is not guaranteed.

Generally, sustainable diversion limits are the maximum long-term average quantities of water that can be taken each year for consumptive use from the Murray-Darling Basin’s water resources.

The Commonwealth Water Act (2007) requires that the limits reflect an environmentally sustainable level of take.

The final Murray-Darling Basin Plan agreed by all Basin States sets a sustainable diversion limit for each catchment and aquifer in the Basin, as well as an overall limit for the whole Basin.

In northern Victoria (the southern Basin) this means a sustainable diversion limit is the upper limit on the amount of surface water and groundwater that can be taken from for consumptive use within an unregulated river sub-catchment.

Sustainable diversion limits will operate from 2019 and will replace the current cap system in the southern Basin.

A group of people who hold an entitlement together, most commonly a works licence.

A take and use licence is either a fixed term or ongoing entitlement to take and use water from a waterway, catchment dam, spring, soak or aquifer.

Each licence has conditions set by the Minister for Water which are specified on the licence.

There are three types of transfer for a take and use licence. Permanent volume transfer and temporary volume transfer shift part or all of the volume from one licence to another.

Change of ownership changes the ownership of a licence without affecting its volume.

This is now called allocation trade in unbundled systems.

In bundled systems, this refers to trade of water from a take and use licence for a single year.

Zones which make it simpler to manage trade by defining the area where trade can occur and if there are any set conditions.

They set out the known supply source or management arrangements and the physical realities of relevant supply systems within the zone.

The trading zone that determines where the water share and allocation can be traded and where the allocation can be used.

The trading zone relating to the land defined on a water-use licence/ bundled entitlement.

Refers to the change of ownership of a water share. Can also be used to refer to either temporary or permanent trade of bundled entitlements.

Water shares whose owner does not also own or occupy land covered by a water-use licence and are nominated for the water allocation use.

When the entitlement previously called a water right, or a take and use licence in a declared water system, is converted into three separate entitlements.

These are: a water share, a delivery share or extraction share in a works licence, and a water-use licence.

This occurred for declared water systems on 1 July 2007 in northern Victoria and 1 July 2008 in southern Victoria.

A river system where no major dams or weir structures have been built to regulate the supply, or extraction, of water for consumptive use.

A fee that does depend on the volume of water used.

See also fixed charges.

A dispute resolution service which hears and determines a wide range disputes.

These include sale and ownership of real property, use or flow of water between properties, local council land valuations and planning permits, and disciplinary proceedings across professions and industries.

The legislation that governs the way surface water and groundwater entitlements are issued and allocated in Victoria.

It defines water entitlements, establishes the mechanisms for managing Victoria's water resources and relates to the governance and operation of rural and urban water corporations.

The legislation that established the Murray-Darling Basin Authority to manage the Basin’s water resources and prepare the Basin Plan.

It also established the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder to manage the Commonwealth’s environmental water, charged the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to develop and enforce water charge and water market rules and gave the Bureau of Meteorology powers to collect and publish water information.

An arrangement under which a water corporation supplies water to a customer in its water district, under terms and conditions set by the corporation.

Now called water corporations, although sometimes referred to as authorities in their role as a licensing authority.