West Gippsland Case Study

For a quarter of a century, Gippsland’s sustainable irrigation program has been producing positive results with long-term partnerships at the centre of its success.

This year, the joint initiative between the CMA, Agriculture Victoria and local farmers celebrated 25 years of collaborative effort that has resulted in a remarkable transformation of irrigated land and water use across central Gippsland. The program has delivered over 1,200 irrigation improvement Projects in the Macalister Irrigation District (MID) and across the Lake Wellington Catchment.
“The CMA is incredibly proud to celebrate over two decades of effort to reduce the environmental impact of irrigation by keeping water and nutrients on farm and out of local waterways that flow into the Gippsland Lakes,” said West Gippsland CMA Board Chair, Mikaela Power.
“Thanks to the sustained, collective efforts of farmers, agencies, water corporations and local irrigation communities, we’re now seeing savings of 47 gigalitres of water worth $85M annually. That’s a huge financial benefit for irrigators and a boost to water security for the region’s agricultural industry.”
Encouraging irrigators to embrace sustainable irrigation practices has been a key driver of the program’s success with a shift in attitudes over the years.
“We thank those farmers who put their hands up in the early days to trial new irrigation methods and systems for the benefit of the wider irrigation community. We’ve now partnered with nearly all landholders in the MID, achieving 94% coverage of the district with farm irrigation plans. Combined with the 179 spray conversions, 299 reuses systems and 70 best practice surface irrigation projects, it adds up to a remarkable, long-term transformation of irrigated farmland.”
It’s a classic ‘win-win’ with over 46 gigalitres of nutrient rich water carrying an estimated 23 tonnes of phosphorus being kept on farm every year to benefit soil health and pasture productivity. It also reduces the need for synthetic fertilisers and protects surrounding waterways from run-off.
During 2024-25, 14 irrigation projects covering 375 hectares were delivered, with water savings of 730 megalitres and phosphorous loads reduced by 190 kilograms per year.
“Our vision is to be able to proudly say that the irrigation community is having zero impact on waterways and benefiting catchment health. That will be a fantastic day,” concluded Mikaela.

Encouraging irrigators to embrace sustainable irrigation practices has been a key driver of the program’s success.