Werribee South Water Outlook 2026-27 — What Allocations Mean for Your Planting Plan

By Yield Australia Agronomy Team ·

Water security is the single biggest variable in Werribee South vegetable production. With Southern Rural Water (SRW) releasing its early-season outlook for the 2026-27 irrigation year, now is the time to think hard about cropping plans, variety choices, and water-efficient practices.

The Numbers as They Stand

As of mid-May 2026:

  • Werribee Irrigation District (WID) high-reliability water shares — Currently sitting at ~85% of entitlement, broadly in line with the five-year average for this point in the season
  • Storage levels — Pykes Creek and Melton Reservoirs combined are at ~62% capacity, slightly above the long-term median for May
  • Recycled water (Class A from Western Treatment Plant) — Supply remains stable, continuing to underpin the bulk of Werribee South vegetable irrigation
  • Carryover — Many growers are sitting on healthy carryover positions thanks to a wetter-than-average autumn

What This Means for Planning

The headline message: this is not a drought year, but it's also not a year to be complacent. Allocations can move quickly with summer demand, and the medium-term climate outlook still skews dry once we move past spring.

Three practical implications for the next 12 months:

  1. You can plant your "normal" program — There's no strong allocation-driven reason to pull back acreage at this stage. Brassicas, leafy greens, alliums, and root vegetables can all proceed as planned
  2. Lean harder on Class A recycled water — Class A continues to be the most reliable source for Werribee South. If your operation isn't yet plumbed for it, the long-term economics are compelling
  3. Invest in monitoring — Soil moisture probes, weather-station data, and crop-water-use modelling are now table-stakes for efficient operations. Our weather dashboard provides ET₀ and rainfall data tuned to Werribee

Variety and Crop Considerations

If you're tightening up water use, talk to us about varieties with shorter time-to-harvest and lower peak-demand water profiles. Some examples:

  • Compact broccoli varieties with 60-65 day cycles versus traditional 75-80 day types
  • Baby leaf programs that turn over multiple cuts per planting
  • Drought-tolerant brassica lines we've been screening through the Trials Portal

Plan Early, Plant Confidently

Talk to your SRW account manager about your seasonal water budget, and talk to us about how your seedling program should be structured to match. The earlier we have visibility on your plan, the better we can sequence propagation to hit your transplant windows.

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