Our VisionHealthy, resilient and increasingly productive landscapes
supporting vibrant communities
Integration of the Farm Water Program with the Goulburn Murray
Water Connections ProgramChris Nicholson
Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority
Jacki TomlinsonGoulburn Murray Water
Our VisionHealthy, resilient and increasingly productive landscapes
supporting vibrant communities
Regional Context – The Goulburn Murray Irrigation District
Our VisionHealthy, resilient and increasingly productive landscapes
supporting vibrant communities
Modernisation
• Irrigation modernisation in Northern Victoria – Future Flow
– The Northern Victoria Irrigation Renewal Project (NVIRP)
– Goulburn Murray Water Connections Project
Our VisionHealthy, resilient and increasingly productive landscapes
supporting vibrant communities
GMW Connections Project
• $ 2 Billion Project• 429 GL Water Savings• Two stage project funded by Victorian and Federal
Governments and Melbourne Water• Components:
– Backbone modernisation– Connections– Special projects, e.g. environmental enhancements
Our VisionHealthy, resilient and increasingly productive landscapes
supporting vibrant communities
GMW Connections Project
Goals• Provide a more efficient and affordable irrigation
delivery network
• Ability to deliver an improved level of water delivery
• Increase on-farm productivity
Our VisionHealthy, resilient and increasingly productive landscapes
supporting vibrant communities
Our VisionHealthy, resilient and increasingly productive landscapes
supporting vibrant communities
GMW Connections Project
Achievements to date• Channel Rationalisation 476 Km
• Meters installed 6526
• Delivery Shares connected 2051
• Landowners to be consulted 7390
Our VisionHealthy, resilient and increasingly productive landscapes
supporting vibrant communities
Farm Water Program
• What is the Farm Water Program? – On Farm upgrades that support the development of
productive, profitable and water efficient farms into the future
• The Farm Water Program has secured in excess of $200M over 10 years for this development
Our VisionHealthy, resilient and increasingly productive landscapes
supporting vibrant communities
What’s been achieved
Farm Water Program
Number of Projects
Funding ($million)
Water savings (GL)
Water savings transferred to Commonwealth (GL)
Round 1
148
34.95
18.39
9.39
Round 2
233
61.18
33.21
16.61
Round 3
130
28.24
16.61
9.81
Total
511
124.37
68.21
35.80
Our VisionHealthy, resilient and increasingly productive landscapes
supporting vibrant communities
The Goulburn Murray Irrigation District – Project Locations
Our VisionHealthy, resilient and increasingly productive landscapes
supporting vibrant communities
Our VisionHealthy, resilient and increasingly productive landscapes
supporting vibrant communities
Our VisionHealthy, resilient and increasingly productive landscapes
supporting vibrant communities
Partnership approach
Our VisionHealthy, resilient and increasingly productive landscapes
supporting vibrant communities
Farm Water Program- Key Eligibility
Two main eligibility criteria for Landowners to participate
1. That they have a whole farm plan that reflects the proposed works
2. That they are connected to the modernised delivery system
Our VisionHealthy, resilient and increasingly productive landscapes
supporting vibrant communities
Integration of Programs
Pros• Better outcome for landowners
• Greater opportunities for rationalisation of irrigation infrastructure
• Certainty for Government Investment
Our VisionHealthy, resilient and increasingly productive landscapes
supporting vibrant communities
Integration of Programs
Cons• Extra effort required to ensure the aligning of the
programs
• Potential time delays in projects becoming eligible
• Landowner angst due to uncertainty of future funding
Our VisionHealthy, resilient and increasingly productive landscapes
supporting vibrant communities
Integration of Programs
Key• Communication, Communication, Communication
– Communication between Programs
– Communication with Landowners
– Communication with Service Providers
– Communication with Funding Partners
Our VisionHealthy, resilient and increasingly productive landscapes
supporting vibrant communities
Integration Case Study
Our VisionHealthy, resilient and increasingly productive landscapes
supporting vibrant communities
Case study-before
Our VisionHealthy, resilient and increasingly productive landscapes
supporting vibrant communities
Case study- After
Our VisionHealthy, resilient and increasingly productive landscapes
supporting vibrant communities
Case study- Outcomes
• Rationalisation of – approximately 3 kms of GMW supply channel– 5 irrigation meters– 3.41 ML/d delivery share– Countless farm irrigation structures and kms of farm channel
• Installation of– 2 Pump stations on “backbone channel”– 1 fixed Centre Pivot– 1 towable Centre Pivot
Our VisionHealthy, resilient and increasingly productive landscapes
supporting vibrant communities
Case study- landowner outcomes
• Delivery System Modernisation has led to Improvements in;– Channel heights– Flow reliability– Water ordering (From 4 days to 48 hours)
• On farm– Reduced labour– More precise application of water (Spring/Autumn)– Water Savings– Increased Productivity
Our VisionHealthy, resilient and increasingly productive landscapes
supporting vibrant communities
“We would have not been able to undertake this project in its entirety if we were not able to combine the opportunities presented by the GMW connections project and the Farm Water Program. The resulting outcome has not only increased our production while using less water but has made irrigating a pleasure!”
Our VisionHealthy, resilient and increasingly productive landscapes
supporting vibrant communities
Thank you
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