Shepparton
The Shepparton Irrigation Area (SIA) covers 98,000 hectares in Northern Victoria, with 51,000 hectares of the area irrigated. The Area is bounded by the East Goulburn Main Channel to the east, the Goulburn River to the west, and the Broken and Nine Mile Creeks to the north.
Water supply for the SIA comes from the Goulburn Weir where it is diverted into the East Goulburn Main Channel. The supply system comprises over 700 km of distribution channels, 40 km of pipeline and 2,560 irrigation outlets servicing approximately 850 irrigation customers. The SIA was first established in the early 1900s and, consequently, much of the infrastructure is based on old technology, and is reaching the end of its productive life.
Shepparton Irrigation Area Modernisation Project
The SIA Modernisation Project will implement a range of infrastructure works to improve the delivery efficiency of irrigation water supply and generate annual water savings of about 50 billion litres. The project includes:
- Construction of gravity pipelines
- Automation of channels
- Replacement of outlet meters to improve accuracy
- Reconfiguration and rationalisation of existing infrastructure.
The project is being undertaken in two stages. The first stage was implemented in 2008 and involved automation of major channels, meter replacement along automated channels and some reconfiguration. The second stage is being implemented in 2009 and includes the completion of channel automation, meter replacement, reconfiguration activities and pipelining works.
More information on the project is available from the Goulburn-Murray Water website.