If you're planning to plant trees or shrubs, it's important to avoid planting them too close to a rural pipeline in case we need to do work on a pipe.

To find out where our pipelines are located, use our interactive map of GWMWater assets or get in touch with us.

Tips for planting near a pipeline

To help us to access and maintain the water network:

• Large trees should be planted at least 5 metres from a pipeline.
• Shrubs should be planted at least 2 metres from a pipeline.
• Grasses, legumes and herbs can be planted directly on the pipeline with the understanding that they may need to be removed if work is required on a pipe.

For more information about planting trees or shrubs near a rural pipeline, please call us on 1300 659 961 during business hours.

If you're planning to install your on-farm piped system, we have tools and advice available to help you come up with the best design for your property.

A good design will aim to:

• increase farm productivity by selecting the best location for tanks and troughs
• save pumping by using land elevation and the pressure provided by your pipeline connection to reticulate water around your property
• reduce the cost to install tanks, troughs and pipe on your property

Your design must also provide a peak 72 hour on-farm backup storage to satisfy the service standards in our  Rural Customer Charter.

Tools and advice

On-Farm Water Reticulation Guide

We've published a comprehensive  On-Farm Water Reticulation Guide to help you design and install your on-farm system. The guide provides practical and technical advice covering all aspects of a piped on-farm system. Download a copy or contact us to get your free printed copy of the guide.

 On-Farm Water Reticulation Guide (4.9MB, 104 pages)

Piping Your Property DVD

We've also produced a DVD called Piping Your Property to complement the On-Farm Water Reticulation Guide.  Contact us to get your free copy of the DVD.

Interactive map of GWMWater assets

Use our Interactive map of GWMWater assets to access land elevation information for your property to help design your system to reduce on-farm pumping. 

GWMWater customers supplied from rural pipeline systems have fully tradable water allowances, which are registered at an individual customer level with the Victorian Water Register. 

Customers have the option to trade either part or all of these water allowances on a temporary or permanent basis. They also have the option to purchase pipeline growth water. This means that customers have greater flexibility and freedom in managing their water resources. Customers can:

• purchase growth water to increase allowance
• amalgamate water allowances
• subdivide water allowances
• permanently trade water allowances
• temporarily trade water allowances.

The information below outlines some of the most important rules and conditions concerning the trade and purchase of water allowances. You'll find more detailed information on the application forms, or if you'd rather have a discussion, feel free to give us a call.

Purchasing a water allowance

Customers have the option to purchase pipeline growth water to increase their allowance. New and existing customers can purchase growth water through an expression of interest process.

Peak Growth Water is a fully tradable product and is available all year round.

Off Season Growth Water is a fully tradable product and is available for use between 1 May and 30 September.

Download an expression of interest for the  Purchase of Pipeline Growth Water

Amalgamating a water allowance

Amalgamation of water allowances is the combining of two or more existing water allowances into a single entity.

• The allowances need to be held in common ownership or be associated to a single farming enterprise.
• The appropriate documents and proof are required if allowances aren't in common ownership (e.g. a partnership agreement or lease document).
• The amalgamated allowance can only be attached to one supply system.
• Approval is dependent on the capability of the pipeline system as determined by GWMWater's hydraulic model.

Download an   Application to Amalgamate a Water Allowance

Subdividing a water allowance

The subdivision of a water allowance splits a single water allowance into two or more water allowances.

• Water allowances can be made up of more than one land parcel.
• Water allowances must be connected to land with existing meters, or to lands that have lodged an application to connect with the rural supply system.
• The owner of the water allowance decides how the water will be subdivided and reallocated.
• Land parcels with only standard meters require a water allowance of at least 100 kL.
• The primary allowance of 730 kL will remain with the primary (house) meter.
• Sharing meters between land parcels isn't allowed.

Download an  Application to Subdivide a Water Allowance

Permanent and temporary trade of a water allowance

A permanent water trade transfers ownership of a water allowance on a permanent basis. A temporary water trade transfers ownership of a water allowance on a temporary basis for the remainder of that particular financial year.

• The minimum volume of water allowance able to be traded is 100 kL.
• The primary allowance of 730 kL isn't permitted to be traded and is vested with GWMWater.
• Water allowances can't be traded between the Grampians and Murray delivery systems.
• Approval is dependent on the capability of the pipeline system as determined by GWMWater's hydraulic model
• A minimum standard allowance of 100 kL is required to be connected to the pipeline system. If you want to trade all of your standard allowance, you need to disconnect from the system at your own expense.
• The water rates associated with the seller’s water allowance must be paid before a trade being approved.

Download an  Application for Permanent Trade of Water Allowance

Download an  Application for Temporary Trade of Water Allowance

Pipeline water allowance trading is covered by Section 124 of the Water Act 1989 and supplied in accordance with the conditions contained in GWMWater’s  Rural Customer Charter.

We believe climate change poses a great threat to our water supply, our environment and our way of life. That's why we're taking a proactive approach in our policies regarding climate change. We're reducing our environmental impact, adapting to the climate future and working toward a regional response.

Our Sustainability Strategy is an important part of our response to climate change. The report details our sustainability objectives and how we hope to achieve these goals.

Read our Sustainability Strategy for more details on how we're planning for climate change at GWMWater.

Reducing our environmental footprint

We're committed to reducing our environmental footprint and are working to minimise greenhouse gas emissions for our organisation. We've been working toward a reduced environmental footprint for a long time and have a number of programs in place to help us achieve this goal.

So far we've managed to achieve zero emissions for our vehicle fleet, offices and depots.

• Our large vehicle fleet covers a lot a kilometres across a service area almost the size of Tasmania! To reduce fuel consumption we've focused on fuel-efficient driving, among other measures.
• GWMWater offices and depots are avoiding and reducing emissions by installing energy-saving measures such as solar panels and more efficient lighting, and turning things off when not in use.
• We have also purchased carbon offsets to achieve zero emissions. The purchase goes toward a reduction of 1 tonne in greenhouse gases.

Adapting to the future - a regional response

Our most significant adaptation project has been the Wimmera Mallee Pipeline Project. This large-scale project replaced 17,500 km of inefficient open irrigation channels with 9,159 km of pipeline. This initiative has guaranteed a more secure water supply for rural and urban residents and delivered water to recreational lakes and the environment. The pipeline is a part of our strategy to adapt to a changing climate which will likely see increases in extreme conditions such as drought.

But there's still work to be done! Even now we're working toward long-term solutions with our Water Supply Demand Strategy. The Strategy will ensure that we're assessing long-term water supply and demand under a range of possible future climate scenarios. It considers a range of factors that influence customer demands as well as the impact of climate on available supply. Our planning and action in these areas is also linked with the Victorian Government's Western Region Sustainable Water Strategy. This strategy forecasts and plans for future drought and the uncertainty of climate change.