30 June 2025
The Victorian Environmental Water Holder (VEWH) has released the Seasonal Watering Plan 2025-26. The plan details how environmental water will be used to build resilience in rivers, streams, wetlands and plants and animals for forecast dry periods and expected low inflows.
“We are looking at a different climate picture since the very wet back-to-back La Nina events and relatively high storage levels of several years ago,” said Dr Sarina Loo, VEWH CEO.
“Conditions in 2024-25 have generally been dry, with parts of western and central Victoria experiencing their driest start to the year on record.
“The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting below-average rainfall and above-average temperatures for various regions through spring 2025.
“We expect water for the environment to be delivered under a dry scenario at the start of the water year, unless the VEWH and waterway managers see a change based on forecasts or local conditions.”
In the Wimmera, as well as experiencing its second-lowest inflow year since 1900, the catchment is recovering from fires in summer across large areas of the Grampians and Little Desert national parks, with big impacts on water availability and quality.
“It will be a difficult year, and we’ll work with waterway managers and storage managers to deliver environmental water efficiently and effectively,” Dr Loo said.
“Although storage levels in the northern region, Melbourne supply system and West Gippsland have been dropping, there is sufficient water to deliver the watering objectives to support rivers, wetlands and native plants and animals under the forecast dry conditions.”
The 2025-26 Seasonal Watering Plan includes for the first time proposed watering actions provided by Traditional Owner groups.
There is a proposal from Taungurung Land and Waters Council to water the Molesworth Billabongs complex off the Goulburn River, which has local community support.
A proposal from the First People of the Millewa-Mallee Aboriginal Corporation to water Musk Duck wetland in the Mallee aims to maintain water quality for native fish.
“Our work in environmental water management is deeply connected to the land and waterways that have been cared for by Aboriginal communities for thousands of years,” Dr Loo said.
“Recognising and respecting their knowledge and contributions is important in our efforts to manage and protect waterway health.”
The VEWH and waterway managers from nine catchment management authorities (CMAs) and Melbourne Water engaged with Traditional Owners, storage managers, land managers, technical experts and local communities on the proposed watering actions.
The seasonal watering plan shows how waterway managers plan with communities to consider how environmental flows can support activities like boating, canoeing, fishing, birdwatching, camping, relaxing in nature and tourism.
Waterway managers integrate environmental water with other management activities such as pest control, fish barrier removal and streamside vegetation improvements to achieve environmental outcomes from the top to the bottom of Victoria’s catchments.
The VEWH has also released the Allocation Water Trading Strategy 2025-26, an overview of the allocation water trading activities the VEWH may carry out in 2025-26 across Victorian water systems covered in the seasonal watering plan, and interstate.
The strategy provides transparency around the VEWH’s potential trade decisions and a ‘no surprises’ approach to environmental allocation water trading activity.
The VEWH may consider selling part of its allocation in the Goulburn, Campaspe and Murray systems up to a ceiling of 17 GL throughout 2025-26, if foreseeable environmental demands can be met. Trade will occur anytime in the 2025-26 water year, with details of individual trade decisions provided on the VEWH website.
Seasonal Watering Plan 2025-26 – download the Victorian plan or regional sections here
Allocation Water Trading Strategy 2025-26 – download here
Media queries: 0402 750 953
Email: [email protected]
About us:
- The Victorian Environmental Water Holder is an independent statutory body established in 2011 under Victoria’s Water Act 1989 as an ‘accountable, independent guardian’ to transparently manage environmental water entitlements.
- The VEWH decides why, where, when and how available water for the environment is used, carried over or traded to support the health of Victoria’s rivers, wetlands and floodplains.
- Under the Water Act the VEWH can buy, sell or exchange water to meet environmental needs.
- There is more about the VEWH’s allocation water trading strategy here.
Contact details:
Mob: 0402 750 953