The Andrews Labor Government has finalised the Broken River System Review, helping entitlement holders to improve water-use efficiency, water trading and water access for domestic and stock use.
Minister for Water Harriet Shing has accepted all seven recommendations from the project steering group which oversaw the review of the river system.
The project steering group conducted an in-depth review of system operations, climatic conditions, and user behaviour in the river system to understand the challenges facing entitlement holders, including declining water availability and variable conditions.
The steering group then recommended a range of actions to improve water management in the Broken River system, following consultation with the community on draft proposals.
One recommendation is a feasibility study into system reconfiguration options, as years of low water allocations and inconsistent inflows into the storage of Lake Nillahcootie are expected to continue.
The Labor Government will work with stakeholders in the region, including local entitlement holders and Traditional Owners, to implement the recommendations and deliver the feasibility study.
Seven water entitlement holders were represented in the project steering group. This included representation from the chair of the Goulburn-Broken Water Services Committee and local and state government agencies- including Goulburn-Murray Water.
Read the Project Steering Group’s final report and supporting documents at: engage.vic.gov.au/broken-reviewExternal Link.
As stated by Minister for Water Harriet Shing
“I want to thank the members of the project steering group for their hard work to make sure this River System Review was rigorous and supported by the community.”
“We will work with the community to deliver on the recommendations to ensure we can make the most of the available water now and into the future.”
