The work comes in the wake of changes to the rules governing the trade and delivery of water from the Goulburn River to the Murray River, after community outcry and concern over environmental damage from sustained high flows during summer and autumn in 2018 and 2019 to meet downstream demand.
In response, in March 2021, the Victorian Government released the Goulburn to Murray Trade Review Regulatory Impact Statement.
The RIS outlined proposed changes to operating rules to avoid further environmental damage.
The interim operating rules for the lower Goulburn River are more in line with the natural variability of flows over summer and autumn, providing for longer periods of low flows, between short pulses up to 3000 Ml/day.
The RIS also recommended investigating the costs and benefits of moving privately owned pumps in the lower Goulburn River to see if there is an opportunity for more flexibility in the use of pulses above 3000 Ml/day.
G-MW has started this work, which includes confirming existing pumps and other infrastructure within the Goulburn River that may be impacted under a flow up to 6000 Ml/day.
G-MW’s Daniel Irwin said the work would help inform future government decisions on the Goulburn to Murray Trade Review.
“An outcome of this work includes a better understanding of the potential costs should the relocation of infrastructure need to occur,” he said.
“We are in the process of contacting all of our diversion customers below the Goulburn Weir to confirm who may be impacted by the proposed pulse flows and our plans to verify this on-site.”
The inspections are due to be carried out between late February and mid-March.
“Tapping into diversion customer knowledge about how private pumping infrastructure moves in response to flows will be an important input to the study,” Mr Irwin said.
For more information on the Goulburn Murray Trade Review, contact water.markets@delwp.vic.gov.au
