GOULBURN Murray Water is facing calls to boost the capacity of its Waranga Western irrigation channel.
Major Boort irrigator Tony Sawers wants investment in more upgrades and maintenance that will avoid future rationing in the Loddon districts included in the GMW’s winter work schedule.
But GMW on Tuesday said it had no plans for the crucial channel section at Bears Lagoon that Mr Sawers says should be a priority to lifting supply capacity to Boort district farms where irrigators are heading into another week of tightened rationing.
Farmers have been forced to reduce watering at critical times in their crop and pasture cycles. Boort, Calivil and Dingee irrigators have been on rations since early March. GMW has already tightened allocations and not ruled out more cuts as demand for irrigation water remains high.
GMW says the 2025 work program will focus on a 10km stretch south-east of Dingee, between Paxfords Road and Steads Road.
“The remodelling of the Waranga Western Channel is of high importance, as this will be the third consecutive winter works program where GMW has undertaken major works on the channel,” said the Tatura-based water business owned by the State Government. But Mr Sawers has questioned the level of investment in the Waranga Western Channel around Bears Lagoon. “We are in Boort and pay the same for delivery share each year as someone in Shepparton but they can’t deliver the same service.
 “It smacks a little of financial disadvantage,” he said. Mr Sawers said: “Most of the time we have pretty good access but the Boort end of the channel is never given a lot of water.”
He said  GMW has a plethora of data on the width of channels needed to carry water that could be used in channel modification.
He said moving delivery shares was “a game of chance” and said GMW should consider a single-farm approach to water management.
Mr Sawers also wants Loddon irrigators allowed to own Loddon supplement water and divert that water into the district channel when rationing was in place.
“There are few things more simpler ... that would be a no brainer,” he said.
GMW said that since the rationing cycle began through to Monday, it had delivered about 8000 ML to irrigators in the Boort, Dingee, Calivil areas.
The Tandara Pondage will be drawn down to supply irrigators when required. But it says the delivery network is already at capacity “meaning water from the pondage will not have a tangible impact on how much water irrigators can access”.
Water delivery services general manager Warren Blyth said: ““GMW is continuing to closely monitor water orders within the Boort, Dingee, and Calivil areas and will update customers if there are any changes to the situation.”
Mr Sawers said smarter software would also help GMW better manage water rationing “and anticipate and avoid dramas”.