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In this section you will find detailed information, including national overviews and state and regional level assessments, from the 2000-2002 National Land and Water Resources Audit theme assessments.
Irrigation - Victoria
Victoria
Extent of irrigation in Victoria
The overall area irrigated in Victoria has decreased by 35,400 hectares or 6% from 1992/93 (581,417 ha) to 1996/97 (546,067 ha). The extent of change in irrigated area varies significantly across river basins, with an increase observed in some basins.
The area irrigated has been estimated using 2 methods - 1) by aggregating ABS SLA statistics to AWRC Basins; and 2) using ANCID Australian Irrigator Provider Benchmarking Statistics reporting area irrigated in 48 systems nationally.
Because irrigation systems reported by ANCID may straddle several AWRC Basins, area irrigated is reported for all Basins and Systems in each State. The difference between the reported State / Territory totals in 1) and 2) shows the extent of irrigated area not reported by ANCID in addition to irrigation occurring outside designated systems.
| Basin | Area Irrigated 1983/84 (ha) | Area Irrigated 1992/93 (ha) | Area Irrigated 1996/97 (ha) | Change in Area Irrigated 1992/93 - 1996/97 (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VIC | 554,992 | 581,418 | 546,068 | -6.08 |
| East Gippsland (Vic) | 338 | 316 | 283 | -10.52 |
| Snowy River (Vic) | 511 | 478 | 430 | -10.14 |
| Tambo River | 662 | 675 | 703 | 4.09 |
| Mitchell River (Vic) | 9,202 | 9,246 | 8,798 | -4.85 |
| Thomson River | 20,242 | 21,708 | 21,390 | -1.47 |
| Latrobe River | 11,826 | 10,408 | 10,320 | -0.85 |
| South Gippsland | 8,885 | 11,722 | 9,744 | -16.88 |
| Bunyip River | 8,081 | 6,762 | 7,842 | 15.97 |
| Yarra River | 3,330 | 2,650 | 3,114 | 17.51 |
| Maribyrnong River | 240 | 595 | 240 | -59.74 |
| Werribee River | 4,164 | 3,630 | 5,469 | 50.67 |
| Moorabool River | 4,166 | 3,347 | 1,990 | -40.53 |
| Barwon River | 2,566 | 2,734 | 1,998 | -26.92 |
| Lake Corangamite | 2,010 | 3,373 | 1,880 | -44.29 |
| Otway Coast | 2,088 | 2,493 | 1,678 | -32.69 |
| Hopkins River | 4,114 | 7,691 | 2,851 | -62.93 |
| Portland Coast | 2,173 | 2,965 | 2,416 | -18.49 |
| Glenelg River (Vic) | 1,709 | 8,376 | 1,947 | -76.76 |
| Millicent Coast (Vic) | 1,112 | 7,402 | 2,270 | -69.34 |
| Upper Murray River (Vic) | 1,287 | 2,122 | 2,824 | 33.13 |
| Kiewa River | 784 | 714 | 982 | 37.60 |
| Ovens River | 7,886 | 8,131 | 7,977 | -1.88 |
| Broken River | 62,848 | 63,369 | 64,895 | 2.41 |
| Goulburn River | 103,698 | 104,290 | 100,402 | -3.73 |
| Campaspe River | 21,570 | 21,269 | 20,477 | -3.72 |
| Loddon River | 145,105 | 141,804 | 134,759 | -4.97 |
| Avoca River | 60,237 | 60,217 | 60,567 | 0.58 |
| Murray (VIC) | 42,295 | 44,976 | 48,994 | 8.93 |
| Mallee (Vic) | 12,723 | 13,055 | 13,233 | 1.36 |
| Wimmera - Avon Rivers | 7,590 | 13,541 | 4,205 | -68.95 |
ABS AgStats 97, 93 & 84 (concorded to 1996/97 SLA boundaries by BRS)
The total consumption of water for irrigation in Victoria represents 77% of the total water use in the State. In 1996/97, an estimated 4,451 GL of water was used to irrigate 546,067 ha. This represents 25% of the total volume of water used for irrigation in Australia and 27% of the total national irrigated area. Pasture accounts for 84% of the irrigated area, with other significant culture types including grapevines (4%), cereals (3%), and horticulture (7%).
There has been little change in the total irrigated area from 1983/84 (554,991 ha) to 1996/97 (546,067 ha). Water usage has increased by 1,491 GL/yr or 50% since 1983/84.
The gross value of irrigated production in 1996/97 was estimated at $1,997 million, representing 25% of the national total.
On average, 69% of the total area within the irrigation water supply systems in Victoria is irrigated each year. The extent of irrigation in a particular year depends on a number of factors including fluctuating commodity prices, climate, production potential of the land and water availability.
| Irrigation System | Total Area in System 1999/2000 (ha) | Actual Area Irrigated 1999/2000 (ha) | Area Irrigated (10 Year Average) (ha) |
|---|---|---|---|
| VIC | 943,126 | 611,304 | 652,623 |
| Bacchus Marsh Irrigation District | 1,774 | 1,288 | 1,280 |
| Central Goulburn Irrigation Area | 172,131 | 119,592 | 120,128 |
| Diverters (supplied direct from streams) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| First Mildura Irrigation Trust | 8,027 | 6,673 | 6,630 |
| Macalister Irrigation District | 55,000 | 37,387 | 37,387 |
| Murray Valley Irrigation Area | 128,268 | 81,410 | 85,142 |
| Pyramid - Boort Irrigation Area | 186,481 | 109,018 | 122,089 |
| Rochester - Campaspe Irrigation Area | 117,066 | 66,730 | 73,417 |
| Shepparton Irrigation Area | 82,460 | 54,140 | 54,816 |
| Sunraysia Rural Water Authority | 12,165 | 12,165 | 10,672 |
| Swan Hill Pumped Districts | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Torrumbarry Irrigation Area | 173,366 | 120,000 | 135,000 |
| Werribee Irrigation District | 3,288 | 2,901 | 3,040 |
| Wimmera Mallee Water | 3,100 | 0 | 3,022 |
ANCID 2000
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