The 2025-26 irrigation season is under way, with water deliveries recommencing on Friday, August 15.

This year we are again coming off a relatively dry winter and allocations are generally lower than this time last season.

While there were welcome good falls in late July and the Bureau of Meteorology’s outlook for August indicates an average or slightly better chance of exceeding median rainfall, we know that farmers in parts of our region have had some of the lowest rainfall since 2019 and have had to make some tough decisions.

I encourage Goulburn-Murray Water customers to explore the Victorian Government’s drought support package, which includes grants of up to $5000 for eligible farmers.

Eligible activities under the grant program have been expanded to cover infrastructure improvements, water carting, pasture re-establishment and testing of soil, water or feed to support management decisions.

For more information, visit the Agriculture Victoria webpage.

A very dry year on the back of two wetter-than-average years highlights just how valuable a resource water is.

One of the ways we make the most of the water that falls into our catchments is through improvements to our delivery network undertaken as part of our annual Winter Works maintenance program during the brief period in between irrigation seasons (May 15 to August 15).

Many of the works we completed as part this year’s $14.7 million package of works will help us improve the flow rate, efficiency and reliability of our water deliveries for the 2025-26 season.

This includes the 365km of channel we de-silted and treated for aquatic weeds, gate repairs, bridge works, replacing the PH 993 regulator on the Waranga Western Channel and replacing the rail culvert on Murray Valley No. 6 Channel south of Katunga.

I thank the staff and local contractors who completed these important works on time and on budget, and the community for their patience with detours and changed conditions during the past three-months.

Now is also a good time for customers to ensure their on-farm irrigation infrastructure is in working condition so they can get water at the flow rate they order.

This includes inspecting pumps, pipelines and other infrastructure for any debris or blockages.

If a customer wants to report a maintenance issue or has questions regarding their water licences or entitlements, they can phone G-MW’s Water Systems Operations team on 1300 469 469.

With lower storage levels this year and the potential for reduced allocations, it’s more important than ever to plan ahead and submit your water orders early.

To ensure your water is debited against the correct allocation account, please make sure you place your orders on G-MW’s ordering system, WaterLINE.

From late October, keep an eye out for the latest version release of WaterLINE to make ordering of water and managing your records easier than ever.

The latest version features a responsive user interface, dynamic reporting functions and visual monitoring and is another example of how G-MW is embracing technology and innovation to meet the evolving needs of our customers.

– Charmaine Quick is G-MW’s managing director.

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