Goulburn

• The Goulburn basin covers a large area in northern Victoria. It extends from the Great Dividing Range near Woods Point in the south-east to the Murray River near Echuca in the north-west.
• Climate in the region varies, with the high country experiencing cool winters and persistent snow and regions in the north-west generally experiencing a lower annual rainfall.
• Streamflow is generally higher during July-September and lower during the warmer months (January-March).
• Agriculture in the basin is diverse, ranging from hardwood timber production in the south-east to dairying and fruit production in the north. Sheep and cropping are important in dryland and irrigated areas.

More information on water management and accounting is detailed in Water explained.

When compared to the previous year, in 2021-22:

• more rainfall was received, catchment inflow was higher and storage levels peaked and declined at higher levels
• seasonal allocations were similar to the year before, with high-reliability entitlements reaching 100% allocation a month earlier
• there were fewer restrictions on licensed diversions from unregulated streams
• more water was diverted from the basin for consumptive and environmental purposes.

Rainfall

Rainfall in the Goulburn basin was average in the south-west and above average in the north-east, higher than the year before. Rainfall was:

• average in the west from around Rushworth to Eildon and Marysville
• above average in the north and east around Kyabram, Mansfield, and Jamieson.

Wastewater treatment plants

Water treated at wastewater treatment plants can be used to supplement water available in the basin. Water discharged to waterways from treatment plants is included as an inflow to the water balance.

Information on treatment plants is now reported in the Water Supply local reports for the water corporation responsible for managing the plant.

In this basin, wastewater treatment plants are managed by Goulburn Valley Water.

Compliance

Compliance against water entitlements is reported for this basin in three areas:

• entitlement issued: the volume of entitlements issued in a basin does not exceed formal caps, and has not increased without appropriate approvals
• water taken: the volume of water taken during the year does not exceed the volume considered to be available for consumptive and/or in-stream use during that year
• bulk entitlement provisions: holders of entitlements do not breach any provisions that are documented in their bulk entitlement orders.

Note to increase in entitlement volume:

• Water share volume increased by 29,128 ML (HR) and 17,438 ML (LR), this increase was made up of 36,996 ML (HR) and 20,435 ML (LR) issued for the Irrigator Share Distribution, a decrease of 7,934 ML (HR) and 3,041 ML (LR) following surrender of Connections Project Water Shares and another 96 ML (HR) and 44 ML (LR) net increase for other matters including cancellations and conversions from supply by agreements.
• The supply by agreement volume decreased in line with the water share issue, and further decreased by 26 ML due to an error cancelling the record in the Victorian Water Register (to be rectified in the following year).
• Bulk entitlement volumes similarly changed volumes as a result of the Irrigator Share Distribution; loss entitlements were reduced in line with the irrigation modernisation works completed and the issue of water shares, in line with the Water Act and Water Savings Protocol. More information on the Irrigator share distribution can be found in the Entitlements and Compliance section on the statewide surface water page.

Environmental watering sites

Environmental watering sites in the Goulburn basin that depend on water for the environment include:

• wetlands of national significance, significant areas of intact riparian and floodplains vegetation and endangered flora and fauna species including trout cod and Murray cod
• the lower Goulburn River floodplain (downstream of Goulburn Weir), which is listed as a wetland of national significance and is a native fish habitat and floodplain national park
• Reedy Swamp, a regionally significant wetland that is part of the Lower Goulburn National Park and which contains drought refuge and significant habitat for colonial nesting birds
• water from the Goulburn basin also flows into the Murray, Campaspe and Loddon basins, helping to maintain internationally significant environmental assets (such as Gunbower Forest and the Hattah Lakes in the Murray basin).

Environmental water reserve

In 2021-22, water sourced from the Goulburn basin for the environment comprised:

• the Environmental Entitlement (Goulburn System – Living Murray) 2007, comprising 39,625 ML of high-reliability and 156,980 ML of low-reliability entitlements held by the VEWH
• the Goulburn River Environmental Entitlement 2010, comprising 26,555 ML of high-reliability and 5,792 ML of low-reliability entitlements held by the VEWH
• the Environmental Entitlement (Goulburn System – NVIRP Stage 1) 2012, which is allocated mitigation water allocated for the purposes of watering specific environmental sites that have been identified through the Goulburn-Murray Water Connections Project environmental approvals processes (1,891 ML of allocation in 2021-22)
• the Bulk Entitlement (Goulburn System – Snowy Environment Reserve) Order 2005, comprising 30,252 ML of high-reliability and 8,156 ML of low-reliability entitlements
• up to 7,490 ML of water each year, as part of the Bulk Entitlement (Loddon River – Environmental Water Reserve) Order 2005
• 332,437 ML of high-reliability water shares and 60,319 ML of low-reliability water shares held for the environment
• water set aside for the environment through the operation of passing flow conditions:
  • on consumptive bulk entitlements (regulated and unregulated systems) held by Goulburn Valley Water and Goulburn-Murray Water
  • on licensed diversions
• the Silver and Wallaby Creeks Environmental Entitlement 2006, which provides passing flow rules on Silver and Wallaby creeks
• all other water in the basin not allocated for consumptive uses: this water also provides social, recreational and cultural benefits.

Environmental water use

A total of 513,232 ML of environmental water was sourced from the Goulburn basin in 2021-22. 13,778 ML of this was diverted off-stream, 4,372 ML of which was sourced from the Loddon River - Environmental Water Reserve bulk entitlement. The remaining 504,088 ML was delivered in-stream in the Goulburn River.

Management of water in the Goulburn basin is undertaken by various parties