THE Australian Government's Restoring our Rivers 2024 open tender process for the purchase of water rights in five catchments, including the Ovens and King, has now closed.

The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) is seeking to purchase up to 70 gigalitres per year (GL/y) of permanent water rights across the selected catchments in New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria, to help deliver the 450 GL/y of additional environmental water, and to implement the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

Interested owners of eligible water rights in the catchments had until September 11 to submit a tender response stating the price at which they wanted to sell their permanent water rights to the department, as part of the voluntary process.

When asked how many responses were received from the Ovens and King regulated catchment, a spokesperson from the DCCEEW said this week "the department treats all tender responses as confidential".

"The Australian Government remains committed to delivering the Murray−Darling Basin Plan in full," the spokesperson said.

"The department will evaluate tenders as quickly and efficiently as possible."

The DCCEEW advised in its approach to market it may begin accepting offers by the end of the 2024, subject to responses received.