On this page:
- Environmental water entitlements
- Where do environmental water entitlements exist in Victoria?
- Who holds the environmental water entitlements?
- How much water is available to use for environmental watering?
- Gippsland region
- Central region
- Western region
- Northen region
- How have environmental water entitlements been created?
- Water donations
Environmental water entitlements
An environmental water entitlement is a legal right to a share of water available at a location (for example, Upper Yarra Reservoir), subject to rules and conditions.
There are also water entitlements for households, industry and irrigated farming.
Environmental water entitlements provide a right to water that can be managed to benefit the environment. The rules and conditions of each environmental entitlement determine how much water is available and when.
Where do environmental water entitlements exist in Victoria?
Environmental water entitlements are held in water supply systems across Victoria.
We and other environmental water holders try to avoid water supply shortfalls by using environmental water efficiently and by carrying over and trading water.
If there are still shortfalls, we, in collaboration with waterway managers such as catchment management authorities and Melbourne Water (and other water holders if relevant) must prioritise where we water.
The Victorian Water Register has detailed information about entitlements.
Who holds the environmental water entitlements?
Environmental water entitlements are largely held by state and Commonwealth Government agencies often referred to as 'environmental water holders'.
In Victoria this includes the Victorian Environmental Water Holder, the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder and the Murray-Darling Basin Authority as part of the Living Murray program (TLM)
How much water is available to use for environmental watering?
Environmental water is available under environmental water entitlements held by us.
The water available to use under these entitlements varies from year to year, depending on entitlement rules, seasonal conditions (including rainfall and runoff in the catchments) and the water already available in storages.
Here are the environmental water entitlements held by us as at 31 March 2024.
Gippsland region
System | Entitlement | Water Holder | Volume (ML) | Class of entitlement |
Latrobe | Blue Rock Environmental Entitlement 2013 | VEWH | 18,737 (1) | Share of inflow |
Latrobe River Environmental Entitlement 2011 | VEWH | n/a (2) | Unregulated | |
Thomson | Bulk Entitlement (Thomson River – Environment) Order 2005 | VEWH | 10,000 8,000 (1) | High reliability Share of inflow |
Macalister | Macalister River Environmental Entitlement 2010 | VEWH | 12,461 6,230 | High reliability Low reliability |
Snowy | Bulk Entitlement (River Murray – Snowy Environmental Reserve) Conversion Order 2004 | VEWH | 29,794 | High reliability |
Bulk Entitlement (Goulburn System – Snowy Environmental Reserve) Order 2004 | VEWH | 30,252 8,156 | High reliability Low reliability | |
Water shares | VEWH | 23,462 24,275 | High reliability Low reliability |
Central region
System | Entitlement | Water Holder | Volume (ML) | Class of entitlement |
Yarra | Yarra Environmental Entitlement 2006 | VEWH | 17,000 55 | High reliability Unregulated |
Tarago | Tarago and Bunyip Rivers Environmental Entitlement 2009 | VEWH | 3,000 (1) | Share of inflow |
Werribee | Water shares | VEWH | 734 361 | High reliability Low reliability |
Werribee River Environmental Entitlement 2011 | VEWH | n/a (1) | Share of inflow | |
Moorabool | Moorabool River Environmental Entitlement 2010 | VEWH | 7,086 (1) | Share of inflow |
Barwon | Barwon River Environmental Entitlement 2011 | VEWH | n/a (2) | Unregulated |
Upper Barwon River Environmental Entitlement 2018 | VEWH | 2,000 (1) | Share of inflows |
Western region
System | Entitlement | Water Holder | Volume (ML) | Class of entitlement |
Wimmera and Glenelg | Wimmera and Glenelg Rivers Environmental Entitlement 2010 | VEWH | 40,560 1,000 | High reliability Low reliability |
Northen region
System | Entitlement | Water Holder | Volume (ML) | Class of entitlement |
Victorian Murray | Bulk Entitlement (River Murray – Flora and Fauna) Conversion Order 1999 | VEWH | 95,571 30,860 49,000 | High reliability Low reliability Unregulated |
The Living Murray (TLM) | 9,589 101,850 34,300 | High reliability Low reliability Unregulated | ||
Environmental Entitlement (River Murray – NVIRP Stage 1) 2012 | VEWH | 1,207 (3) | High reliability | |
River Murray – Mitigation Water Environmental Entitlement 2023 | VEWH | 1,276 486 | High reliability Low reliability | |
Water shares | TLM | 12,267 | High reliability | |
Goulburn | Environmental Entitlement (Goulburn System – Living Murray) 2007 | TLM | 39,625 156,980 | High reliability Low reliability |
Environmental Entitlement (Goulburn System – NVIRP Stage 1) 2012 | VEWH | 1,891 (3) | High reliability | |
Goulburn River Environmental Entitlement 2010 | VEWH | 24,992 5,792 | High reliability Low reliability | |
Goulburn System – Mitigation Water Environmental Entitlement 2023 | VEWH | 1,506 748 | High reliability Low reliability | |
Silver and Wallaby Creeks Environmental Entitlement 2006 | VEWH | n/a | Passing flows | |
Water shares | TLM | 5,559 | High reliability | |
Broken | Water shares | VEWH | 90 19 | High reliability Low reliability |
Campaspe | Campaspe River Environmental Entitlement 2013 | VEWH | 20,855 4,394 | High reliability Low reliability |
Environmental Entitlement (Campaspe River – Living Murray Initiative) 2007 | TLM | 126 5,048 | High reliability Low reliability | |
Loddon | Bulk Entitlement (Loddon River – Environmental Reserve) Order 2005 | VEWH | 11,798 2,024 | High reliability Low reliability |
Environmental Entitlement (Birch Creek – Bullarook System) 2009 | VEWH | 100 | Provisional | |
Goulburn River Environmental Entitlement 2010 | VEWH | 1,434 | High reliability |
(1) Water is accumulated continuously according to a percentage share of inflows to these entitlements (i.e. the Blue Rock 9.45%, Thomson 3.9%, Tarago 10.3%, Werribee 10.0%, Moorabool 11.9% and upper Barwon River 3.8%). This volume represents the designated storage volume available to VEWH under the entitlement except for Werribee because the VEWH entitlement does not include a storage share in the Werribee system. The actual volume available in any year varies according to inflows.
(2) Access to water under this entitlement is dependent on suitable river heights and there is no volumetric entitlement associated with the entitlement.
(3) This entitlement volume is the mitigation water savings from GMW Connections Project Stage 1, as verified in the 2022-23 audit.
How have environmental water entitlements been created?
In response to declining river and wetland health due the amount of water being taken out and the construction of dams, weirs and channels, governments have invested significantly over the past two decades to recover water for the environment.
In Victoria, this has occurred largely through water-saving projects, such as improving the efficiency of delivering water to towns and farms. Some of the water savings from these projects are then converted into environmental water entitlements.
Water donations
The VEWH can receive water donations from individuals, community groups and other organisations to be used to water the environment.
The costs and benefits of each donor proposal is considered by the Victorian Environmental Water Holder and these donations may be authorised by us if they're considered environmentally beneficial.
Page last updated: 05/12/24