By VINNIE RODI

SUNRAYSIA irrigators are being encouraged to plan ahead for next year’s water needs to ensure they maintain a positive Allocation Bank Account (ABA) for the 2019/20 irrigation season.

The call comes after recent Lower Murray Water (LMW) figures revealed a 20.98 percent (or 14,987ML) increase in usage from the region’s in-district irrigators compared to the end of January last year.

Private diverters, meanwhile, have also extracted 23,000ML more than this time last year.

The increased usage follows the region’s hotter than average summer, which saw irrigators having to pump almost continuously for days on end to combat stretches of 40ºC-plus temperatures throughout December and January.

As a result, several growers are getting close to using their full water share allocation for the year with several months left in the current season, which finishes on June 30.

And while some irrigators may be hoping to access carryover water stored from past seasons, there is no guarantee this water will be made available.

Even if access to carryover is granted, it could leave irrigators exposed to the water market next season should no upfront water share allocations be made available in the Murray system.

As it currently stands, irrigators can carryover up to the volume of their water shares, and this amount (minus five percent evaporation) is available at the start of each season.  

However, any allocation which brings their total of carryover and allocation above their water share volume goes into a spill account until it is either spilled, or a low risk of spill declaration is made.

In practice, the volume an irrigator ‘carries over’ is available at the start of each season, but until there is a low risk of spill declaration, an irrigator cannot access more than their water share volume, even if allocations have reached 100 percent.

For example, if an irrigator has a water share of 100ML, and carried over 50 percent from the previous season, they would have 47.5ML available before any allocations were made (taking into account evaporation).  

If a 50 percent allocation was then made, they would have access to 97.5ML. If another 10 percent allocation was then made, they would now have access to 100ML, with the remaining 7.5ML to go into their spill account, which they cannot access.  

If future allocations were to then reach 100 percent, the irrigator would have 100ML available in their ABA, and 47.5ML in their spillable account.  

At some stage in the season either none, some or all of the water in that spillable account will be returned to the irrigator and be available for use.

“There is a chance growers could access carryover, or enter the water market, depending on the factors of the day,” LMW executive manager Customer and Stakeholder, Andrew Kremor, said.

“Irrigators will be able to view their ABA account and know exactly what they have to play with (in terms of available water).

“It is very important, however, that growers maintain a positive ABA balance. In the past we’ve had this protocol in our customer charter where you have a 30-day leeway to go back into balance. That’s going to change, and effectively mean that you can’t be in overuse.

“Essentially the message is don’t pump unless you have water in your ABA.”

Mr Kremor said the rising amount of water being pumped in the district was “certainly growing in line with increased irrigation.”

“That’s both outside our district and inside,” he said. “Over the past few years there has been a growth in rejuvenation. But it’s nothing we can’t handle.”

According to the figures provided to the Mildura Weekly, irrigation across all districts has increased this season.

Robinvale irrigators recorded the most significant increase, up approximately 28 percent compared to last season, closely followed by Mildura irrigators (up an estimated 20 percent) and Merbein irrigators (up approximately 19 percent).

Red Cliffs irrigators, meanwhile, recorded an estimated 11.62 percent increase.

A carryover calculator is available online at http://waterregister.vic.gov.au/CarryoverCalculator2014/index.html.  

More information about carryover rules is available online at http://waterregister.vic.gov.au/water-entitlements/carryover/carryover-rules.