River Murray water users reminded of requirements to remain within allocations
South Australia’s River Murray water users are reminded of their long-standing requirement to ensure they have not used more water than their available water allocation at any time and to submit meter readings to the Department for Environment and Water at the end of each quarter.
This is to help ensure that water can be reliably delivered to all River Murray water users in South Australia and to protect the passage of environmental water through the river system.
Compliance actions apply if water account holders take water in excess of the allocation available to them during any quarter. For example, water accounts are reviewed at the end of each quarter (30 September, 31 December, 31 March and 30 June each year) and compliance action taken for any excess water use.
DEW’s General Manager Water Licencing, Mike Fuller, said South Australian irrigators are renowned for doing the right thing and water users are encouraged to continue to closely monitor their use throughout the water year and ensure they remain within the allocation available on their water account at all times.
“Water users can submit an online meter reading at any time and elect to receive a water usage advice statement (like a bank statement for a water account) by email or SMS. This helps ensure they are monitoring water use and remaining within their available water allocation,” Mr Fuller said.
“The majority of South Australia’s River Murray users do the right thing and remain within their available allocation.
“Only a very small number of River Murray water account holders (less than one per cent) exceeded the allocation available on their water account at the end of each quarter of 2019-20 and 2020-21, to date.
“Those water users who operate within the terms of their water account and ensure a credit balance at all times are not impacted by compliance actions, such as penalty charges.”
The end of Quarter 3 of the 2020-21 water use year is 31 March 2021. Compliance action will be taken in all instances where the volume of water taken for Quarter 3 is in excess of the available allocation on a water account as at 31 March 2021.
In order for a water trade to be considered for Quarter 3 of the 2020-21 water use year, the application must also be submitted to DEW before 5:00pm on 31 March 2021.
Water users along the River Murray are also reminded that it is a condition of take to read their meter(s) in the first 14 days of April and to submit the meter reading(s) to DEW by 30 April 2021. Failure to submit a meter reading on time will result in a $1,090 expiation notice being issued for breach of authorisation to take water.
Meter reading can be submitted online at any time by going to: https://www.environment.sa.gov.au/topics/water/water-licences-and-permits/water-reporting.
For more information or to access the online meter reading form, please see the DEW website (https://www.environment.sa.gov.au/topics/water/water-markets-and-trade/fees-and-charges) or contact a DEW officer via telephone: (08) 8595 2053 or via email: DEWwaterlicensingberri@sa.gov.au.
