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.
A bucket is a good metaphor for environmental water entitlements that provide a right to access water held in water storages.
The size of the bucket is determined by the entitlement volume, or the maximum amount of water that can be accessed annually. How the bucket is filled with water is determined by the rules and conditions of the entitlement.
In most cases, water available in the entitlement (bucket) varies from year to year depending on how much water is in storage and how much it has rained. The 'water available' is often referred to as 'water allocation'.
Generally, each entitlement (bucket) gets filled with water (allocation) as more water becomes available in storage.
In many systems, a water corporation (also known as a storage manager or a resource manager) progressively allocates water to entitlements throughout the year based on how much water is in storage. In a dry year, water allocated may be less than the total entitlement volume (the bucket does not fill). In a wet year, the full volume is likely to be allocated early (the bucket fills quickly), as the figure above illustrates.
Water allocation to an entitlement could be determined by a specified share of inflows or by other defined rules.
An entitlement may have a specified 'reliability', which indicates how consistently the entitlement (bucket) is filled and the priority order in which it is filled in any year. For example, in systems like the Murray, high-reliability entitlements are filled before and more frequently than low-reliability entitlements.
Some environmental water entitlements are not linked to a water storage and access to water is only permitted on an opportunistic basis (that is, when water is actually flowing in a river, rather than being captured in a storage). These entitlements—called unregulated entitlements—permit diversion of in-river flows above a certain height or rate, or flows that are in excess of what is needed to supply consumptive uses.
Environmental water entitlements are held in 15 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.
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 6 May 2020. 1
Gippsland region
System | Entitlement | Volume (ML) | Class of entitlement |
|---|---|---|---|
Latrobe | Latrobe River Environmental Entitlement 2011 | n/a2 | Unregulated |
Blue Rock Environmental Entitlement 2013 | 18,7373 | Share of inflow | |
Thomson | Bulk Entitlement (Thomson River – Environment) Order 20054 | 10,000 8,0003 | High Share of inflow |
Macalister | Macalister River Environmental Entitlement 2010 | 12,461 6,230 | High Low |
Central region
System | Entitlement | Volume (ML) | Class of entitlement |
|---|---|---|---|
Yarra | Yarra Environmental Entitlement 20064 | 17,000 55 | High Unregulated |
Tarago | Tarago and Bunyip Rivers Environmental Entitlement 2009 | 3,0003 | Share of inflow |
Werribee | Werribee River Environmental Entitlement 2011 | n/a3 | Share of inflow |
Moorabool | Moorabool River Environmental Entitlement 20104 | 7,0863 | Share of inflow |
Barwon | Barwon River Environmental Entitlement 2011 | n/a2 | Unregulated |
Western region
System | Entitlement | Volume (ML) | Class of entitlement |
Wimmera and Glenelg | Wimmera and Glenelg Rivers Environmental Entitlement 20104,5 | 40,560 1,000 | Pipeline product Wetland product |
Northern region
System | Entitlement | Volume (ML) | Class of entitlement |
Murray | Bulk Entitlement (River Murray – Flora and Fauna) Conversion Order 1999 | 45,267 8,523 49,000 | High Low Unregulated |
Bulk Entitlement (River Murray – Flora and Fauna) Conversion Order 1999 – Barmah-Millewa Forest Environmental Water Allocation | 50,000 25,000 | High Low | |
Bulk Entitlement (River Murray – Flora and Fauna) | 9,589 101,850 34,300 | High Low Unregulated | |
Environmental Entitlement (River Murray – NVIRP Stage 1) 2012 | 1,1556 | High | |
Bulk Entitlement (River Murray – Snowy Environmental Reserve) Conversion Order 2004 | 29,794 | High | |
Water shares – Snowy Environmental Reserve | 14,671 6,423 | High Low | |
Water shares – Living Murray program | 12,267 | High | |
Goulburn | Goulburn River Environmental Entitlement 2010 | 26,555 5,792 | High Low |
Environmental Entitlement (Goulburn System – Living Murray) 2007 | 39,625 156,980 | High Low | |
Environmental Entitlement (Goulburn System – NVIRP Stage 1 ) 2012 | 1,3986 | High | |
Bulk Entitlement (Goulburn System – Snowy Environmental Reserve) Order 2004 | 30,252 8,156 | High Low | |
Water Shares – Snowy River Environmental Reserve | 8,321 17,852 | High Low | |
Silver and Wallaby Creeks Environmental Entitlement 20064 | n/a | Passing flow only | |
Broken | Water shares | 90 19 | High Low |
Campaspe | Environmental Entitlement (Campaspe River – Living Murray Initiative) 2007 | 126 5,048 | High Low |
Campaspe River Environmental Entitlement 2013 | 20,652 2,966 | High Low | |
Loddon | Bulk Entitlement (Loddon River – Environmental Reserve) Order 20055 | 10,970 2,024 | High Low |
Environmental Entitlement (Birch Creek – Bullarook System) 20094 | 100 | n/a7 | |
Water Shares – Snowy River Environmental Reserve | 470 | High |
1 While the VEWH does not hold any entitlements in the Maribyrnong system, water allocation was purchased in this system together with Melbourne Water in all years between 2013–14 and 2018–19 inclusive.
2 Use of these entitlements depends on suitable river heights, as specified in both the Latrobe and Barwon environmental entitlements (rather than a permitted volume).
3 Water is accumulated continuously according to a share of inflows (Blue Rock Reservoir 9.5 percent, Tarago Reservoir 10.3 percent, Werribee system 10.0 percent, Moorabool system 11.9 percent, Thomson Reservoir 3.9 percent, West Barwon Reservoir 3.8 percent). The actual volume available in any year varies according to inflows. Entitlement volumes presented in this table indicate the entitlement share of storage.
4 In addition to volumetric entitlement, the entitlement also includes passing flows.
5 In addition to volumetric entitlement, the entitlement also includes unregulated water.
6 This entitlement volume is the mitigation water savings from the Goulburn-Murray Water Connections Project Stage 1, as verified in the latest audit.
7 Allocation against this entitlement is made subject to specific triggers, as specified in the entitlement.
* Information about water available for environmental flows in the Snowy system.
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.
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.
We can receive water donations from individuals, community groups and other organisations.
This water could be used for environmental watering in the financial year it was donated (including for actions identified in the seasonal watering plan), or it could be carried over for use in the future.
Some donors may identify a specific use for the water (such as in a specific wetland or to protect a certain tree species).
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.
Read about Christiane Jaeger who has generously donated water to the environment since 2008.
Page last updated: 12/12/19