 Goulburn Murray Water Recovery Package
The two measures within this proposal are the creation of a new medium reliability entitlement, and the implementation of plans to reconfigure distribution systems.
Medium reliability entitlement
Victoria will create a new separate tradeable medium reliability water entitlement with legal status to replace ‘sales water’, which has previously been made available through administrative decision. This will provide greater certainty for irrigators when making investment decisions. Twenty percent of this new entitlement will be allocated to the environment as a water recovery measure, resulting in an estimated increase in water available to the environment of 120GL, approximately two thirds of which will originate from the Goulburn and Loddon valleys. Much of this water will be available to the environment in wetter years when most environmental opportunities occur. The cost of implementing this measure includes offsets negotiated with stakeholders, such as upgrades of headworks. High reliability water
Victoria will develop plans for reconfiguration of irrigation distribution systems. The implementation of the reconfiguration plans will result in a significant reduction of distribution system losses, and will recover 25GL of high reliability water for an estimated cost of $50m.  Lake Mokoan Water Recovery Package
This proposal is part of the larger $60m Lake Mokoan Project, the remainder of which is proposed to be funded by Water for Rivers (the trading name for the Joint Government Enterprise Limited) to provide up to 20GL for Snowy River environmental flows, and the joint Victorian and South Australian River Murray Environmental Flows Fund.
Since construction, Lake Mokoan has had ongoing water quality (blue-green algae) problems and annual evaporative losses of more than 50GL. The Lake Mokoan Project consists of a number of infrastructure measures, including:
• decommissioning of Lake Mokoan as a storage
• provision of an alternative water supply for affected users and pipelining of some small domestic and stock and irrigation districts
• raising a headworks storage (Lake Nillahcootie) to provide greater operational flexibility. The Lake Mokoan project will result in increased unregulated flows to the River Murray and a more natural flow regime, with increased winter and spring flows, and reduced summer and autumn flows. The project will also produce some local environmental benefits, including the rehabilitation and revegetation of wetland areas such as Winton Swamp.  NSW Water Recovery Package A
Acquisition of Innovative Water Products
NSW proposes that Catchment Management Authorities negotiate contracts with willing entitlement holders. The intention is to negotiate innovative water products (such as lease in perpetuity when a trigger is met, usually in wetter years when environmental watering opportunities are likely to occur) rather than to purchase traditional water market products.
 NSW Water Recovery Package B
The Great Darling Anabranch stock and domestic pipeline
The water recovery proposal involves piping stock and domestic supply to the Anabranch landholders, which will reduce evaporative and seepage losses in the Anabranch. NSW modelling indicates that 47GL will be recovered in the Menindee Lakes for an estimated cost of $54m.
The project will return 460km of ephemeral creek to a more natural flow regime, and provide secure stock and domestic water supplies to Anabranch landholders. Bungunyah-Koraleigh water supply pipeline
It is proposed to replace earthen channels with a pressurised pipe system. The estimated water savings recovered because of pipeline construction and operation are estimated to be 1GL. In addition, the Irrigation Trust has indicated that it is prepared to relinquish 2GL of its general security entitlement as part of the total water recovery proposal. Poon Boon Lakes entitlement recovery
This proposal involves the buy-back of 12GL of irrigation entitlement, allowing water to return from the lakes to the River Murray on the recession of a flood rather than remaining in the lakes to be diverted. Currently, the lakes fill during high river flows. Since the introduction of flow regulation along the river, the lakes fill approximately seven years in ten, and regulators and works retain water within the lakes and prevent it flowing back into the river. Irrigators have entitlements to divert water from the lakes.  Securing Government Held Water for Environmental Use
Securing Government Held Water is a 13 gigalitre (GL) measure under the South Australian Water Recovery Package. The SA Minister for the River Murray has secured 13 gigalitres of water, previously held on various Government water licences, for The Living Murray.
Historically this water has been used for irrigation development in the Riverland and along the Lower Murray. Since traded onto Government held licences, this water has been used for temporary leases for various consumptive users.
The dedication of this water to TLM as part of this measure means that it is committed to ongoing environmental use.
 Australian Government Water Through Efficiency Tender
This measure involved a competitive tender process where people were invited to lodge tenders to transfer permanent water entitlements to the Australian Government to benefit the Living Murray icon sites. Entitlements transferred through this tender process must have been off-set by an efficiency measure, therefore maintaining productive capacity.
The tender required entitlement transfer and measure completion dates up to 30 June 2009. To ensure water recovered through this tender could be used on icon sites, only entitlements from the southern Murray-Darling Basin were eligible for this tender.
The tender closed in February 2007, with three NSW General Security tenders totalling 0.45 GL (LTCE) being accepted. The water savings from each of these tenders all accrue from on-farm water efficiency savings. Entitlements are expected to be transferred to the environment on 21 August 2007.
 Pilot Environmental Water Purchase Project
This measure will purchase up to 20 GL of high and medium reliability entitlements within the southern connected part of the Basin. All purchases will be in accordance with safeguards for purchase of water entitlement in the market.
Purchases will be made on a weekly basis over the pilot (subject to the availability of competitive expression of interests to sell from potential sellers).
The pilot period is from 16 July 2007 until 28 September 2007.
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