Twenty gigalitres of water from the Goulburn Valley will be sold early next month for irrigators and communities as the drought continues in parts of eastern Australia.
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The Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder will sell the water by competitive tender over several days from Monday 3 September.
The holder, Jody Swirepik, said water could be made available and still meet environmental objectives in both the Goulburn catchment and downstream.
“Good planning and effective water management across a number of years mean we are able to put some water up for sale in the Goulburn now,” she said.
This trade enables us to achieve the best outcomes as it will provide flexibility for us to invest in future water allocations in other catchments, or in environmental projects across the basin.”
The announcement was welcomed by federal member for Mallee Andrew Broad, who said it was a step in the right direction, helping farmers finish off winter-based pastures and getting feed to those who needed it in New South Wales and Queensland.
“Ideally I would like to see 30 GL released for sale, this could be in the form of an additional 10 GL down the track, to enable more farmers to purchase water across the region but still meet our environmental needs,” he said.
During the sale there will be a minimum bid size of 5 ML and a maximum bid size of 500 ML.
An electronic bid form will be available on the website when the tender process opens at 10 am Monday 3 September 2018. For further information click here.
Tom O'Callaghan
I grew up in Bendigo and I want to tell your stories.
I grew up in Bendigo and I want to tell your stories.
