In December of 2009, the Council of Australian Governments approved compliance measures for non-urban flow meters. These regulations will directly affect agricultural irrigation in Australia. The National Water Initiative structured the new regulations to support a uniform platform for metering water in Australia. The new non-urban metering requirements are intended to improve accuracy and create a stable market environment for water trading. The regulations will give irrigators confidence in the accuracy of all flow meters. Listed below are the non-urban water metering policy highlights:
- that all non-urban meters shall comply with the national metering standards by 1 July 2020
- any meter installed after 30 June 2010 must comply with the national metering standards
- any meter installed prior to 1 July 2010 shall be replaced with a compliant meter by 1 July 2020. Replacement shall be undertaken at the earliest opportunity, such as when major maintenance is required on the non-compliant meter
- maximum permissible limits of error of ±5 per cent
In addition, the nation’s meters are required to include telemetry capabilities. In certain regions of the country, telemetry will be required. Australia is confident that accurate water usage data is the only way to create a properly functioning market for water.
At Net Irrigate we commend Australia’s efforts to create consistency in the nation’s water data. We have witnessed firsthand with our customers how water conservation can occur with accurate water usage data. In the future, as policy makers, business leaders, and irrigators struggle with the rising issue of water scarcity, Australia will provide worldwide leadership in water conservation.
More info at: http://www.environment.gov.au/water/publications/agriculture/ris-metering-non-urban.html













