Water Efficiency Program
On 4 September 2020, the Hon. Keith Pitt MP, Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia, announced the Murray–Darling Communities Investment Package to reconfigure how the Australian Government will achieve water recovery in the Murray–Darling Basin.
We are committed to delivering the Basin Plan in a way that puts communities at the centre of the reform.
A different approach is required to recover 450 GL of water to deliver river health benefits.
There will be no additional water buybacks and more community-led solutions.
There will be a greater focus on generating water savings through off-farm projects, shifting the focus away from on-farm water efficiencies.
We are working with Basin states and irrigation networks to identify projects to generate water savings from off-farm infrastructure.
The Water Efficiency Program will deliver funding to upgrade water infrastructure in the Murray–Darling Basin.
Over $1.5 billion is available to improve water efficiency and deliver 450 gigalitres of water for the environment by 2024.
Water saving projects must demonstrate a neutral or positive social and economic impact for the community. Participants will:
- implement the project as agreed
- return an agreed volume of saved water rights to the Australian Government
- keep any extra water savings that the project generates.
Project funding is up to 1.75 times the current market value of the water rights you will transfer. Read more about how we value water rights.
Register now
Check if you’re eligible to apply. You can either apply as a project partner, or through a delivery partner.
Learn more:
Who can apply
If you have held water rights for at least 3 years in the Murray–Darling Basin you may be eligible for funding.
An eligible participant is someone who:
- owns an eligible water right
- is capable of transferring that water to the Commonwealth under a contract to do efficiency works to achieve water savings.
You can apply as a project partner or through a delivery partner.
Guide to addressing efficiency measures agreed criteria
Read the guide to addressing efficiency measures agreed criteria for projects in:
The Australian Capital Territory
For projects in Victoria go here
Project partners
A project partner is:
- an eligible water rights holder or their agent
- with a project valued over $1 million.
If you have a project over $1 million, you can now register your interest. Make sure you meet all eligibility criteria before you register.
Delivery partners
A delivery partner is:
- an organisation, or local or state or territory government
- who helps eligible water rights holders design and deliver their projects.
Delivery partners can manage projects of any size.
Water rights holders with a project under $1 million must apply through a delivery partner. We will publish details of all approved delivery partners.
Tenders for delivery partners open periodically, please continue to check this site for updates.
Eligible catchments
The program operates in all surface water SDL units across the Murray–Darling Basin. Details about the units is available hereCondamine–Balonne catchment
In the Condamine–Balonne catchment we will operate in:
- Lower Balonne Water Management Area
- Condamine and Balonne Water Management Area (CBU 01 – CBU 09)
- Upper Condamine Water Management Area (below Cecil Plains weir)
- Condamine and Balonne Tributaries Water Management Area (on a case-by-case basis).
Water rights
Eligible water rights are:
- rights to exclusive access to a share of the surface water resources of a water resource plan area or other water management area
- able to be permanently traded, or transferred, to the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder
- free from encumbrances when the rights would be transferred
- located within a water resource plan area identified in Basin Plan 2012 (Chapter 3, Part 2 s3.05 and s3.07)
- owned by an Eligible Participant
- suitable for use by the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder to achieve environmental benefits.
The most common eligible water right is a water access entitlement. For example, a South Australian River Murray Class 3a Water Access Entitlement.
Eligible projects
Projects must have neutral or positive socio-economic outcomes.
Projects must meet minimum water savings targets. These are:
- generally 10ML for projects delivered by a delivery partner
- 100ML for projects delivered by a project partner.
Delivery partners can seek approval for a 3ML target, only if water savings will be consolidated on their own licence and transferred in bulk.
There are five project streams. See examples of eligible activities in each stream.
[expand all]
Urban water efficiency projects
Includes:
- reduced leakage
- sewerage processing practices
- stormwater capture and recycling.
Industrial water efficiency projects
Includes:
- plant upgrades
- processing or product redesign and implementation
- water recycling.
Off-farm projects
Includes:
- dams and water storage
- stock and domestic pipelines
- upgraded channel systems.
Metering projects
Includes:
- flow regulation infrastructure
- installing meters
- upgrading meters to comply with the Australian Standard.
On-farm projects
Includes:
- drip systems
- replacing open channels with pipes
- water-efficient root stock.
Download
Read our full list of eligible activities:
| Document | Pages | File size |
|---|---|---|
Water Efficiency Program - eligible projects DOCX |
5 | 788 KB |
Water Efficiency Program - eligible projects PDF |
5 | 172 KB |
If you have difficulty accessing these files, visit web accessibility for assistance.
Register your interest
You can now register your interest to become a project partner for your water saving project.
Registration of interest is only for projects over $1 million. If you have a project under $1 million, you must apply through a delivery partner.
Learn more about how to register.
Water valuation
Read more about how we value water rights.
Our approach will:
- establish a market value for each eligible water right based on contemporary market prices
- help you develop your project proposal and determine likely project funding level
- inform our evaluation of project proposals (particularly value for money).
Download
Our policy on water valuation.
| Document | Pages | File size |
|---|---|---|
| Water Efficiency Program – approach to water valuations DOCX |
3 | 784 KB |
| Water Efficiency Program – approach to water valuations PDF |
3 | 144 KB |
If you have difficulty accessing these files, visit web accessibility for assistance.
Delivery partners
CAF Consulting
- website: www.cafconsulting.com.au
- email: info@cafconsulting.com.au
South Australian Murray-Darling Basin Natural Resources Management Board
- website: Natural Resources SA Murray-Darling Basin Water Efficiency Program
- email: DEW.WEP@sa.gov.au
Rural Water Advisory
Waterfind
- Website: www.waterfind.com.au
- Email: WEPenquiries@waterfind.com.au
Approved projects
We will publish details of all approved projects.
Details will include:
- a description of the project
- program stream
- location
- estimated value of the project
- type of water entitlement
- unapproved estimated volume of water savings (nominal)
- a description of the project’s socio-economic and environmental impacts.
Questions
Please submit any questions about the program to Water efficiency.
We will respond to emailed questions within 5 working days.
The Water Efficiency Program meets the requirements of the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council meeting on 14 December 2018 which agreed to additional socio-economic criteria and the associated assessment to be adopted for the program.
Read the Ministerial Council Communique.
Your feedback
In late 2018 we sought your feedback on additional criteria for water efficiency projects. This included public meetings, a webinar and an online survey. Read more about our consultation.