Northern Victorian irrigators have repeated concerns the state has done the "heavy lifting" on water efficiency and should not be part of commonwealth water buyback plans.
The commonwealth has given the states three more years to complete efficiency projects for the Murray-Darling Basin, but also put buybacks on the table to achieve the additional 450 gigalitres of environmental water.
Victoria has not signed up for the new plan, citing concerns about the impact of buybacks on the state's agricultural sector.
Tongala prime lamb producer Steve Snelson queried the timing of the announcement, coming after the price of permanent water had dropped to $3800 a megalitre over the last year.
"Now they have announced it, the price has gone up $100/ML," he said.
"Where's it going to go now?"
He said before the commonwealth announcement, the price had dropped by $1000/ML, "because everyone thought buybacks were not going to happen.
"That permanent water market is now at $3900/ML," he said.
He said it was fortunate the state government hadn't taken part in the scheme - "Victoria is the only one with water, the other states don't have any water.
"(Premier Dan) Andrews is standing off at the moment, but I don't trust him to do anything but sell us out."
Retired dairy farmer Doug Fehring, Leitchville, said he still held water shares and congratulated Victoria for standing up to the commonwealth.
"More power to them," Mr Fehring said.
"(Minister) Plibersek doesn't understand they can't use water they have got, let alone use more - it's absolutely ludicrous," he said.
"The Victorian government has always been strong in that area, there would be revolt in the community, if they weakened."
He said buybacks would affect everything from farms, to schools businesses and health services.
Leigh "Skeeta" Verhey, runs a 400-head dairy herd at Koondrook and said he feared members of an ageing farming community would see the opportunity to exit the industry and sell their water.
"It's getting harder, with interest rates where they are, for young people to borrow that amount of money," he said.
"If you are going to get out, the quickest way is to sell your water, clear your debt and leave and put some money away.
"The resource is there for a reason, to grow food into the future."
He said Victoria could not stop the commonwealth buying back water from irrigators in the state.
Victorian farmers had already done the "heavy lifting," with the state being more regulated than NSW and SA in its application of water.
"The users of unregulated water, in the Channel Country (Queensland) and, the direct diverters, have a lot to answer for - they have to step up to the plate.
"Victoria has done the heavy lifting, we have done the modernisation projects, we can justify what water we have got."
Authorities had missed the opportunity to capture more water, in storages, during the past three wet years, he said.
Bridget Goulding, Katunga, has a 140-head Holstein herd, said Victoria had been compliant and irrigators did not overuse the state's allocation.
"More than enough water has been bought back within Victoria," Ms Goulding said.
"How about focusing on floodplain harvesting and the continuing lack of metering, in the northern Basin?
"There's been lots of socio-economic studies done, that have already shown us what will happen if any more water leaves the system and communities have already borne the brunt of water buybacks."
She questioned if Victorian irrigation groups were meeting regularly enough with the federal water minister, to put their concerns to her.
Mr Snelson and Mr Verhey also raised concerns about what would happen, if Victoria received its regular rainfall in October.
Mr Verhey said the amount of water being held for environmental purposes was causing airspace issues, especially in the event of significant rainfall.
And Mr Snelson said Lake Eppalock was 100 per cent full "and they (Goulburn-Murray Water) are dumping as much as they can, down the Campaspe River, without causing a minor flood.
"Most of our rain comes in October, or thereabouts - if we get a two or three-inch dump, in any of catchments, the dams are all full and the rivers all come to Echuca," he said.
"The Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder has nowhere to use his water, because he is flooding the forests now."
He said dieback was occurring in the old growth, red gum forests along the Murray River, because they were being over-flooded.
"Around Kerang and Barham there is significant dieback from flooding," he said.
"I have lost all of my spill account, because the dams are full, we have lost thousands of dollars of water, but the environmental water holder loses not one dollar."
It comes as the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder has revealed the office has carried over 977 gigalitres into the 2023-24 year, following another wet 12 months, marked by flooding and above-average rainfall.
CEWH Simon Banks said the water would play a critical role in keeping rivers and wetlands healthy this summer, with a Bureau of Meteorology alert for the return of the El Nino, bringing hot and dry conditions.
"This water will play an integral role in ensuring the best possible environmental outcomes can be achieved, Dr Banks said.
The amount of water carried over into the new water year represented a fraction, or 4.7pc, of the total water that could be stored in dams across the Basin.
Contrary to some claims, he said the commonwealth's water was not filling up dams and causing flooding.
"Just like other water users, carryover water plays a critical role in the CEWH's approach to water management," Dr Banks said.
"It ensures water is available early in the new water year (starting on July 1) to help meet demands in winter-spring.
"It can also be used to manage the risk of low allocations in future years, particularly in the northern Basin."
Dr Banks said Commonwealth environmental water was bound by the same rules as other water users.
"We adhere to the same rules and limits on how much water we can carryover," he said.
The volumes carried over by environmental water managers are comparable to other users, and in some cases, can be much less.
For example, in the NSW Murray valley, 721GL of water was carried over by all water users into 2023-24 or about 43pc of their accounts.
In comparison, the CEWH carried over 75GL or about 20pc.
Andrew Miller
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
