Sustainability Report 2006/07Bulk entitlements
The metropolitan retail water businesses hold bulk entitlements to the water resources of the Yarra River, Thomson River and Silver/Wallaby Creeks (Goulburn River Basin). The entitlements were established as a collective ‘pool’ and transferred to the metropolitan retail water businesses on 30 October 2006. Before then, Melbourne Water held the bulk entitlements.
The data below represents the bulk entitlement reporting requirements for 2007/08.
Reporting obligations common to yarra river, thomson river and silver/wallaby Creek (goulburn river) entitlements
| Total Melbourne water supply system |
Volume
(million litres) |
| THE LONG-TERM AVERAGE ANNUAL BULK ENTITLEMENT DIVERSION LIMIT |
555,000 MILLION LITRES
|
| THE 15-YEAR ROLLING AVERAGE ANNUAL DIVERSION TAKEN FROM THE YARRA, THOMSON AND GOULBURN BASINS FOR THE MELBOURNE SUPPLY SYSTEM |
438,100* MILLION LITRES
|
| ANNUAL DIVERSION FROM THE YARRA, THOMSON AND GOULBURN SYSTEMS FOR 2007/08 |
330,810 MILLION LITRES
|
| TOTAL ANNUAL CONSUMPTION IN 2007/08 |
381,100 MILLION LITRES
|
* Compliance against the bulk entitlement diversion limit has been reported as the 15-year rolling average annual diversion from the combined Yarra, Thomson and Silver/Wallaby Creek systems.
The metropolitan retail water businesses have established a Management Agreement and Management Rules as required by the bulk entitlement order.
Individual entitlement reporting obligations
| Thomson basin |
-
|
| THE LONG-TERM AVERAGE ANNUAL BULK ENTITLEMENT DIVERSION LIMIT |
171,800 MILLION LITRES
|
| THE 15-YEAR ROLLING AVERAGE ANNUAL DIVERSION TAKEN FROM THE THOMSON RIVER BASIN UNDER THIS ENTITLEMENT |
144,100* MILLION LITRES
|
| ANNUAL DIVERSION FROM THE THOMSON RIVER BASIN FOR 2007/08 |
124,500 MILLION LITRES
|
| STORAGE VOLUME IN THE RETAIL WATER BUSINESSES’ SHARE OF THE RESERVOIR AT 30/06/08 | 184,300 MILLION LITRES |
| FLOW INTO THE RETAIL WATER BUSINESSES’ SHARE OF THE RESERVOIR |
139,600 MILLION LITRES
|
| ENVIRONMENTAL RELEASES FROM THE RETAIL WATER BUSINESSES’ SHARE OF THE RESERVOIR | 38,600 MILLION LITRES |
| COMPLIANCE WITH RECOMMENDED ENVIRONMENTAL FLOW REGIME | NO** |
| NUMBER OF PERMANENT TRANSFERS | NIL |
| VOLUME OF PERMANENT TRANSFERS | 0 |
| NUMBER OF TEMPORARY TRANSFERS | NIL |
| VOLUME OF TEMPORARY TRANSFERS | 0 |
| AMENDMENT TO BULK ENTITLEMENT | NIL |
* Compliance against the bulk entitlement diversion limit has been reported as the 15-year rolling average annual diversion from the Thomson system.
** In October 2007 there was a minor non-compliance with minimum flow requirements in the Thomson River at Coopers Creek gauging station. The minimum flow was 214 ML/day compared with a required minimum of 225 ML/day. While this was within the required operational tolerance of 15 ML/day, the operational tolerance requiring the seven-day total recorded flow to equal the seven-day total minimum required flow of 1575 ML was not met. The seven-day totals for 21 and 22 October 2007 were 1559 ML and 1570 ML respectively. Corrective action was undertaken to reduce the potential for this non-compliance to recur.
Temporary qualification of rights
– bulk entitlement (thomson river
– environment) 2005
On 23 March 2007, the then Minister for Water agreed to relax the operating tolerance placed on the achievement of minimum environmental flows downstream of Thomson Dam until Stage 2 water restrictions are lifted in Melbourne.
On 20 December 2007, the Minister for Water further qualified environmental flows on the Thomson River. This qualification reduced the environmental entitlement by 10,000 million litres on 31 December 2007 and annually thereafter by 8000 million litres.
| Yarra basin |
-
|
| THE LONG-TERM AVERAGE ANNUAL BULK ENTITLEMENT DIVERSION LIMIT |
400,000 MILLION LITRES
|
| THE 15-YEAR ROLLING AVERAGE ANNUAL DIVERSION TAKEN FROM THE YARRA SYSTEM UNDER THIS ENTITLEMENT |
288,5004 MILLION LITRES
|
| ANNUAL DIVERSION FROM THE YARRA RIVER BASIN FOR 2007/08 |
205,200 MILLION LITRES
|
| STORAGE VOLUME IN THE RETAIL WATER BUSINESSES’ SHARE OF STORAGES AT 30/06/08 | 329,600 MILLION LITRES |
| FLOW INTO THE RETAIL WATER BUSINESSES’ SHARE OF STORAGES |
278,600 MILLION LITRES
|
| ANNUAL VOLUME OF WATER SUPPLIED TO WESTERN WATER AS A PRIMARY ENTITLEMENT HOLDER | 10,400 MILLION LITRES |
| TOTAL ENVIRONMENTAL RELEASES AND SPILLS FROM RETAIL WATER BUSINESSES’ SHARE OF STORAGES | 37,200 MILLION LITRES |
| COMPLIANCE WITH WATER HARVESTING CAPACITY | YES* |
| COMPLIANCE WITH RECOMMENDED ENVIRONMENTAL FLOW REGIME | YES** |
| NUMBER OF PERMANENT TRANS | NIL |
| VOLUME OF PERMANENT TRANSFERS | 0 |
| NUMBER OF TEMPORARY TRANSFERS | 1 |
| VOLUME OF TEMPORARY TRANSFERS | 300 MILLION LITRES*** |
| AMENDMENT TO BULK ENTITLEMENT | NIL |
*Compliance against the bulk entitlement diversion limit has been reported
as the 15-year rolling average annual diversion from the Yarra system.
** Harvesting was undertaken up to the capacity of the infrastructure
existing at the time of conversion of the bulk entitlement order.
Temporary qualification of rights – yarra river environmental entitlement 2006
On 20 October 2007, the Minister for Water agreed to reduce the Yarra River environmental entitlement by 10,000 million litres a year on average for the period until the earlier of construction of Melbourne’s desalination plant is complete or Melbourne is no longer subject to restrictions more severe than Stage 2.
From this time, the environmental flow rules in place prior to the granting of the Yarra River environmental entitlement in October 2006 will apply until Stage 2 restrictions are lifted.
These include the environmental flow rules set out in Schedule F7 (Waters of the Yarra Catchment) of the victorian State Environment Protection Policy. Compliance with revised environmental flows under the qualification was achieved.
On 26 June 2007, the Minister for Water approved the temporary transfer of up to 500 million litres of water to Goulburn Valley Water. The transfer will cease when a total of 500 million litres has been transferred, or Kilmore and Wandong/ Heathcote Junction are no longer subject to Stage 4 restrictions, whichever comes first. A total of 300 million litres was transferred to Goulburn Valley Water under this transfer arrangement in 2007/08.
| Goulburn basin (silver and wallaby Creeks) |
-
|
| THE THREE-YEAR ROLLING ANNUAL TOTAL BULK ENTITLEMENT DIVERSION LIMIT |
66,000 MILLION LITRES
|
| THE THREE-YEAR ROLLING ANNUAL TOTAL TAKEN FROM THE SILVER AND WALLABY SYSTEM UNDER THIS ENTITLEMENT |
5640* MILLION LITRES
|
| ANNUAL DIVERSION FROM THE SILVER/WALLABY CREEK SYSTEM (GOULBURN BASIN) FOR 2007/08 |
1110 MILLION LITRES
|
| COMPLIANCE WITH MAxIMUM TRANSFER RATE | YES |
| NUMBER OF PERMANENT TRANSFERS |
NIL
|
| VOLUME OF PERMANENT TRANSFERS | 0 |
| NUMBER OF TEMPORARY TRANSFERS | NIL |
| VOLUME OF TEMPORARY TRANSFERS | 0 |
| AMENDMENT TO BULK ENTITLEMENT | NIL |
* Compliance against the bulk entitlement diversion limit has been reported as the total harvest from 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2008 from the Silver and Wallaby system.
Maribyrnong basin
The following table details the annual reporting obligations against the Bulk Entitlement (Maribyrnong – Melbourne Water) Conversion Amendment Order 2000. The data is based on the entitlement to water in Rosslynne Reservoir, the major storage in the Maribyrnong Basin.
| Yarra basin |
-
|
| RELEASES MADE FROM THE RESERVOIR TO SUPPLY LICENCE HOLDERS |
0 MILLION LITRES
|
| SHARE OF STORAGE CAPACITY AT 30 JUNE 2008 |
25 MILLION LITRES
|
| INFLOWS ATTRIBUTED TO MELBOURNE WATER |
46 MILLION LITRES
|
| TRANSFERS AND OPERATING LOSSES WITHIN THE SYSTEM | 0 MILLION LITRES |
| MELBOURNE WATER RELEASES TO MEET ENVIRONMENTAL FLOW REqUIREMENTS |
37 MILLION LITRES
|
| WATER TAKEN BY LICENCE HOLDERS FROM THE MARIBYRNONG RIVER TO SATISFY ENTITLEMENTS | 246* MILLION LITRES |
| TRANSFER OF LICENCES | 0 |
| TEMPORARY/PERMANENT TRANSFER OF BULK ENTITLEMENT | NIL |
| TEMPORARY/PERMANENT TRANSFER OF BULK ENTITLEMENT WHICH MAY ALTER THE FLOW IN THE WATERWAY | NIL |
| ALTERATION TO VOLUME OF WATER UNDER LICENCES ISSUED BY MELBOURNE WATER | NIL |
| ALTERATION TO SECURITY OF SUPPLY OF ENTITLEMENTS UNDER LICENCES | NIL |
| NEW BULK ENTITLEMENT GRANTED TO MELBOURNE WATER TO SUPPLY ENTITLEMENTS UNDER LICENCES | NIL |
| IMPLEMENTATION OF METERING PROGRAM | YES |
| FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH ANY PROVISION OF BULK ENTITLEMENT | NIL |
| DIFFICULTY ExPERIENCED IN COMPLYING WITH BULK ENTITLEMENT AND REMEDIAL ACTION TAKEN/PROPOSED | NIL |
* Excludes domestic and stock licences, which are currently unmetered.
Bulk entitlement Amendment For rosslynne reservoir
The combination of dry consecutive years and the level of releases required from Rosslynne Reservoir to maintain the passing flows in the Maribyrnong River led to the approval by the previous Minister for Water of temporary amendments to the following bulk entitlements:
The amendment orders were granted on 26 October 2006 and are set to expire on 30 November 2008.
The amendment to Southern Rural Water’s bulk entitlement temporarily replaces the requirement to provide constant minimum passing flows at Sunbury with a requirement to release flushes if water quality drops below defined thresholds.
The Melbourne Water and Western Water bulk entitlements were amended to ensure consistency with the revised environmental flow requirements specified under the amended Southern Rural Water entitlement.
Privacy legislation
Melbourne Water is subject to the Information Privacy Act (2000) and the Health Records Act (2001) and is committed to protecting the privacy of all personal and health information it collects and handles. Melbourne Water collects and handles personal and health information only to carry out our functions and activities.
Melbourne Water is committed to openness and transparency and welcomes any queries about our approach to privacy. We endeavour to resolve any privacy complaints quickly and effectively. People wanting to make a privacy complaint should write to:
The Privacy Officer – Melbourne Water, PO Box 4342, Melbourne Victoria 3002