Water is a vital resource we all need to live, work and play. We need water to drink, grow food and fibre, power our energy needs, nourish our natural environment, and provide recreational reserves for communities to enjoy. However, it’s a finite resource, and this means we must use it wisely and share it fairly among everyone who needs it.
In Victoria, the Water Act 1989 provides the legal framework for managing Victoria’s water resources. The purpose of this legislation is to ensure water is equitably and efficiently used, conserved and properly managed for the benefit of all Victorians, and that we increase community involvement in protecting and managing our water.
Under the act, water is allocated to individuals, businesses and the environment as water entitlements or allowed for under a statutory right. The entitlement framework considers the context of limits so that water taken under one entitlement does not reduce the reliability of supply to other entitlement holders or adversely impact environmental values. The conditions applied to water licences held by entitlement holders support this requirement.
Southern Rural Water is responsible for water licencing and regulation in southern Victoria. We work with farmers, businesses, individuals, and the community to help them with water licences, understanding the conditions of their licence, and complying with the regulations.
Most people do the right thing.
Most people realise that if someone takes more than their fair share out of a water system, it has impacts on other users, the environment and the broader community. In our experience, nearly everyone does the right thing. And in cases where people take water that isn’t approved, most don’t realise they’ve done the wrong thing and we work with them to right it.
Fortunately, only a small minority ignore the rules on purpose, and we take this behaviour seriously. In these instances, we’ll do an investigation to prove if any offences have been committed and will scale through an enforcement program. At the start of the scale, we’ll have conversations with people and issue cautions. If it’s a significant offence, then we’ll go onto prosecution and enforcement through the courts.
Managing the resource and monitor water use.
We monitor stream flow in rivers and creeks to see what’s happening in our waterways and use data from a series of observation bores across Victoria to understand groundwater levels in aquifers. This information helps us understand the amount of water available in these systems and informs how we share the resource in line with the regulations.
We also have water meters installed on farms and properties that measures the amount of water flowing through the pipe and this allows us to monitor water use. We take regular meter readings to understand how much water is being used. If someone is close to their limit, we’ll notify them so they can reduce their water use or talk to them about water trading opportunities that could help boost their allocation.
The key to fair sharing is education and empowerment.
We believe the best way to help people share water fairly is to educate them and empower them. That’s why we’ve got friendly and knowledgeable field officers across southern Victoria to help people understand the water regulations and how to comply with them. It’s also why we’re rolling out automation on our water meters. Automation gives customers real time data on how much water they’re using and how much remains, so they can make smarter management and business decisions.
We have comprehensive information about licencing, regulation, and compliance across rivers and dams, and groundwater and bores available online. However, sometimes speaking to a real person can help you get solutions quicker. So, if you need to talk to someone give us a call on 1300 139 510 and we can connect you with the right person.