Water Delivery Costs In the Murrumbidgee catchment the principle water infrastructure operators are SWC, MI and CICL. These organisations operate a variety of irrigation infrastructure across the catchment, which are also used for the delivery of environmental water. Private landholders may also permit the canals and channels on their properties to be used for the delivery of environmental water. Ideally, the most cost-effective means of water delivery should be adopted, particularly from an operational perspective, but this is not always feasible or conducive to achieving optimal environmental outcomes. In terms of water-delivery costs, a number of factors must be considered in the delivery of environmental water: the different delivery paths and ownership of infrastructure timing of releases (i.e. does the watering action coincide with delivery of water for landholders?) system capacity delivery mechanisms (i.e. gravity fed or pumping?). The following sections provide an overview of water-charge arrangements relevant to the delivery of environmental water in the Murrumbidgee River catchment. Water-charge arrangements State Water Corporation As the entity responsible for the delivery of bulk water in the regulated river systems of NSW, State Water Corporation (SWC) recovers its operational costs through water charges. The level of water charge depends upon a number of factors including the type of licence (general or high security), the catchment and the volume. The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) determines the price structure for water delivery, with cost reviews considering water availability and costs associated with maintenance and upgrade of water infrastructure owned and operated by SWC. IPART Determination No. 2 specifies the 2011–12 (effective 1 July 2011) regulated river prices that apply to water delivered by SWC in the Murrumbidgee Valley (). Note that an additional levy applies for the Yanco/Colombo system (an extra $0.90 per megalitre/unit share of entitlement).
Water Delivery Costs In the Murrumbidgee catchment the principle water infrastructure operators are SWC, MI and CICL. These organisations operate a variety of irrigation infrastructure across the catchment, which are also used for the delivery of environmental water. Private landholders may also permit the canals and channels on their properties to be used for the delivery of environmental water. Ideally, the most cost-effective means of water delivery should be adopted, particularly from an operational perspective, but this is not always feasible or conducive to achieving optimal environmental outcomes. In terms of water-delivery costs, a number of factors must be considered in the delivery of environmental water: the different delivery paths and ownership of infrastructure timing of releases (i.e. does the watering action coincide with delivery of water for landholders?) system capacity delivery mechanisms (i.e. gravity fed or pumping?). The following sections provide an overview of water-charge arrangements relevant to the delivery of environmental water in the Murrumbidgee River catchment. Water-charge arrangements State Water Corporation As the entity responsible for the delivery of bulk water in the regulated river systems of NSW, State Water Corporation (SWC) recovers its operational costs through water charges. The level of water charge depends upon a number of factors including the type of licence (general or high security), the catchment and the volume. The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) determines the price structure for water delivery, with cost reviews considering water availability and costs associated with maintenance and upgrade of water infrastructure owned and operated by SWC. IPART Determination No. 2 specifies the 2011–12 (effective 1 July 2011) regulated river prices that apply to water delivered by SWC in the Murrumbidgee Valley (). Note that an additional levy applies for the Yanco/Colombo system (an extra $0.90 per megalitre/unit share of entitlement).
ewater-delivery-murrumbidgee-valley.docx