On this page:
Latest information about where, when and why environmental water may be delivered to the Victorian Murray system and the environmental objectives being targeted is available in this year’s seasonal watering plan.
The seasonal watering plan also contains information about how environmental flows could support cultural, social, recreational and economic values in the Victorian Murray system.
Watering data for the Victorian Murray system and the wider northern region is updated quarterly. Visit current watering releases to find out more.
To find out the current environmental water entitlements held by the VEWH in the Victorian Murray system visit our water holdings.
Waterway managers
Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority
Mallee Catchment Management Authority
North Central Catchment Management Authority
North East Catchment Management Authority
Storage managers
Goulburn-Murray Water
Lower Murray Water
Murray-Darling Basin Authority (River Murray Operations)
SA Water
Water NSW
Environmental Water Holders
Victorian Environmental Water Holder (including the Living Murray program)
Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder
Traditional Owners
The lands and waters of the Murray River system are central to the culture of the many Traditional Owner groups that have lived along the Murray River for tens of thousands of years. To find out more about the Traditional Owners of the Murray River system visit Barmah Forest, upper Murray wetlands, Gunbower Creek and Forest, central Murray wetlands, Hattah Lakes, lower Murray wetlands, Lindsay Mulcra and Wallpolla islands.
System overview
The lands and waters of the Murray River system are central to the culture of the many Traditional Owner groups that have lived along the Murray River for tens of thousands of years. Traditional Owners along the Murray have distinct cultural boundaries, languages and cultural practices. The Murray River has many different names in Aboriginal languages; for example, the Yorta Yorta people know the Murray as Dhungulla. The Victorian Murray system referred to in this plan includes waterways, storages, weirs, locks and regulators managed under state and Commonwealth Government legislation. This system overlays many Traditional Owner boundaries.
Within the Victorian Murray system, there are many significant floodplains and wetland systems within the areas of the North East, Goulburn Broken, North Central and Mallee CMAs. They are sites of significance for Traditional Owners, with tangible and intangible cultural connections dating back thousands of years and continuing to the present day. The Barmah Forest, Kerang wetlands and the Hattah Lakes are internationally recognised Ramsar-listed sites due to the significance of their wetland types and the abundance and range of waterbird species that use them. Many other wetlands in the system are either nationally or regionally significant.
Water for the environment can be supplied to the Victorian Murray system from various sources. These include entitlements held by the VEWH (a subset of which the VEWH holds on behalf of the Living Murray program), the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder and re-use of return flows. In some instances, operational water can be delivered to downstream users in a way that helps meet environmental outcomes within the river system en route. The source of water used for individual watering actions and the ability to deliver all watering actions will depend on water availability, water commitments by other environmental water holders and operational requirements. As a result, the following Victorian Murray system sections do not specify the expected availability of water for the environment.
Victorian Murray system water availability
Tier 1 potential environmental watering in each Victorian Murray system subsection is not classified as tier 1a or 1b because the water available for use, including the re-use of supply from upstream watering actions and opportunistic access to unregulated water, is shared across various demands. Consequently, it is not possible to reliably determine the supply specifically available for each Victorian Murray system subsection.
The VEWH works with the Living Murray program and the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder to supply Victorian Murray system demands, as well as broader southern Murray-Darling Basin demands across other jurisdictions. For more details, see the northern system overview.
Page last updated: 05/12/24