RM2050 Foundations and Options Paper Stakeholder Survey

RM2050 Foundations and Options Paper Stakeholder Survey
Lower Murray Water is developing the Rural Masterplan 2050 (RM2050) to guide future irrigation services.

We’ve released a Phase One paper for consultation, outlining current options for rural districts and encourage you to read the document and provide feedback.

Your feedback is vital—this short survey lets you share your views and help shape future decisions.

If you would prefer to provide a written submission, please email our consultants Ricardo at: RM2050@ricardo.com
Section 1: Key Trends and Drivers
Q1. Your local knowledge is important in shaping the final RM2050 document. Have we accurately described the key trends and drivers affecting LMW's rural customers?*

Strongly AgreeAgreeNeutralDisagreeStrongly Disagree
Q2. Reflecting on the rating you have provided in question 1. What trends or drivers do you feel were missed or not explained correctly?*

0/250
Q3. How would you describe how these trends have affected your farming business?*

Very positivelyPositivelyNeutralNegativelyVery negatively
Q4. Have these trends influenced any changes on your property? Or are you planning any changes on your property? If so, please describe.
Section 2: Strategic Issues and Priorities
The RM2050 Foundations and Options Paper identifies these 5 strategic regional issues.

1. Supporting customers to adapt to future scenarios

2. Managing stranded assets in urbanised and urbanising areas

3. Balancing supply capacity and demand to meet customer needs

4. Renewing irrigation and drainage assets

5. Balancing the level of investment required with the costs recovered from customers
Q5. Do you agree with these 5 strategic issues?*

Strongly agreeAgreeNeutralDisagreeStrongly Disagree
Q6. Are these the right priorities for RM2050?*

0/250
Several actions have been identified assist with long-term planning and management of each of the strategic issues identified above. To assist us pease select your preferred option for each strategic issue below.
Issue 1: Supporting customers to adapt to future scenarios
Q7. To what extent should LMW support customers to adapt to future scenarios?

A). Engagement and information provision to inform customers’ decisions and support new customer connectionsB.) Option A plus active engagement with current and potential customers to encourage utilisation of irrigable land and the irrigation and drainage networkC). Option B plus actively incentivise utilisation of irrigable land and highlight opportunities that may support customer decisions and on-farm practices
Issue 2: Managing stranded assets in urbanised and urbanising areas
Q8. How should LMW manage stranded assets and associate risk in urbanised areas?

D). Leave existing stranded as they are and no active prevention of further assets becoming strandedE). Leave existing stranded assets as they are but prevent further stranded assets by decommissioning (or make safe) before urban development commences.F). Risk-based prioritised decommissioning (or make safe) of existing stranded assets and prevent further stranded assets by decommissioning before development starts
Issue 3: Balancing supply capacity and demand to meet customer needs

This issue has two key parts:
1. Understanding and managing irrigation and drainage assets that are under-utilised, and
2. Understanding and managing those parts of the networks where peak demand for water is greater than the network capacity.
Q9i. For underutilised assets, how should LMW better balance supply and demand to get the right volumes of water to customers where and when they need it, and rationalise assets where there is no longer demand?

G). Do not seek to rationalise assets. Leave under-utilised assets as they are.H). Strategically rationalise under-utilised assets over time and with advanced notice when demand falls below a defined threshold. Engage proactively with customers in under-utilised areas to inform any rationalisation decision. Incentivise or support any remaining customers on affected line/s to exit irrigation or relocate.I). Option H plus adjust district boundaries to maintain or increase utilisation of the network.
Q9ii. For the issue of peak demand, how should LMW better balance supply and demand to get the right volumes of water to customers where and when they need it, and rationalise assets where there is no longer demand?

J). Information provision to customers to enable customers to manage their own water demand within existing network constraints.K). Hierarchy of interventions, starting with non-infrastructure means to encourage or incentivise customers to manage own delivery capacity risk and smooth peak demand, before minor infrastructure changes to adjust capacity locally.L). Increase supply capacity when renewing assets, and/or large-scale reconfiguration, including connecting and integrating districts.
Issue 4: Renewing irrigation and drainage assets
Q10. Where, when, and how should LMW renew or upgrade ageing irrigation and drainage infrastructure where irrigation demand is expected to continue?

M). Run assets to fail and renew selectively and reactively to existing level of service, or opportunistic renewals when external funding is availableN). Improve asset condition knowledge to more confidently predict asset-life and undertake risk-based renewal of assets to existing capacity and level of service. Consider local opportunities to improve operational, water and energy efficiency in configuration and design.O). Strategic approach to renewals at a system scale. Align capacity and level of service to customers’ changing needs. Incorporate opportunities to improve operational, water and energy efficiency in configuration and design.
Issue 5: Balancing the level of investment required with the costs recovered from customers
Q11. How should LMW support ongoing sustainability of the business by aligning efficient costs of service provision with affordable prices and funding options?

P). No immediate major changes to tariff structures. Some effort to seek additional funding sources. Maintain and enforce termination fees.Q). Optimise pricing without major tariff structure changes. Reset prices based on cost-reflective pricing principles. Strategically staging investment and seeking government and/or new customer funding contributions for major capex, if required. Maintain and enforce termination fees and apply them to adjust network as relevant.R). Major pricing reform. Option Q, but seek to move to a single price for same level of service across all districts as part of future price submission. This option may be affected by interconnection between districts, transitional price impacts and/or other business/administrative benefits
Q12. Why do you prefer the options you have chosen? What outcomes are you expecting?

0/250
Section 3: Additional Considerations
Q13. Is there anything else that should be considered in the development of RM2050?*

0/400
Section 4: Demographic Information
Q14. What is your primary irrigation district?*

MilduraMerbeinRed CliffsRobinvaleNot ApplicableI am a Private DiverterPrefer not to sayOther
Q15. What type of crops do you primarily grow? (select all that apply)*

Table GrapesCitrusAlmondsVegetablesPrefer not to sayOther
Q16. What is your role?*

Farm owner/ProducerManagerEmployeeAgribusiness ConsultantRetiredLocal Government EmployeePublic Sector EmployeePrefer not to sayOther
Q17. How many years have you been involved in irrigation farming?*

Less than 5 years5 - 10 years11 - 20 yearsMore than 20 yearsNot ApplicablePrefer not to sayOther
Q18. What is your preferred method of receiving updates from LMW?*

EmailSMSWebsiteOther
If you would like the LMW Project Team to contact you to discuss development of RM2050 further, please supply your email (please note this is optional)
example@example.com
Privacy and the collection of personal information

Lower Murray Water (LMW) is committed to protecting personal information provided by you in accordance with the principles of Victorian privacy legislation. The information you provide will be used for the purpose of developing the Rural Masterplan 2050 and its associated customer communications. The personal information being collected will be made available to our employees/contractors/advisors/agents (including Ricardo) to allow services to be provided to you. You may request access to, or correction of, documents that contain your personal information, which is in our possession. For information on how to make a request for access or correction, please contact us via privacy@lmw.vic.gov.au. In some cases, requests for access or correction will be handled in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Vic).
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RM2050 Foundations and Options Paper Stakeholder Survey

Section 1: Key Trends and Drivers

Section 2: Strategic Issues and Priorities

Section 3: Additional Considerations

Section 4: Demographic Information