In Source the bulk licensing node is used to represent the points in a river system at which a bulk access licensing system is debited for usage. A bulk licensing node is connected to one or more gauge nodes and the flow or orders going past these gauge nodes are used to debit water from the portfolio of accounts held by the bulk access licensing system. The bulk licensing node uses the same configuration as the water user to determine how much, and in what order the water in its portfolio should be used.

Note: The bulk licensing node is always connected to at least one gauge node. Only one bulk licensing node can be connected to a gauge node at any one time. However, a single bulk licensing node can be connected to several gauges at the same time.

Bulk access licensing systems

The phrase "bulk access licensing system" is used to indicate the situation where one or more water entitlements are being used cooperatively by two or more water users. The primary example of this situation is the NSW Irrigation Corporations where tens to hundreds of irrigators share a portfolio of three water entitlements (general security, high security, and conveyance). The idea of a bulk access licensing system could be used to represent other instances where a portfolio of accounts is shared between different uses; such as an environmental entitlement that can be shared at more than one location.

Resource assessment systems and bulk access licensing systems

To simulate a bulk access licensing system, you must configure at least two resource assessment systems. The primary resource assessment system represents the level at which the portfolio of accounts held by the bulk access licences are credited. Each bulk access licensing system is considered a secondary resource assessment system with its own accounts system to allocate the available water to the users that are sharing.

Water users and bulk access licensing systems

The water users in a bulk access licensing system have a portfolio of accounts from the secondary resource assessment system.

In an order debit system, water users have their accounts debited in the secondary resource assessment system, as they order water. The bulk access licensing system's accounts in the primary assessment system is debited as the order passes any gauge node connected to the bulk licensing node. Likewise in a use debit system the bulk access licensing system's accounts are debited as the ordered water flows past the connected gauge nodes; the water users will be debited as they pump their water.

Working with bulk licensing in Source

Each bulk access licensing system has its own bulk licensing node. The node performs two roles:

It acts as a holder for the portfolio of accounts held by the bulk access licensing system; and
It specifies where in the system, debiting of accounts will take place.

Specifying a portfolio of accounts

Note: From Source 3.5.0 onwards, bulk licensing systems cannot be used with Continuous Sharing or Continuous Accounting type resource assessment systems.

Setting up the bulk access licensing system's portfolio of accounts is a three step process:

Add a bulk licensing node to your system;
Create the bulk access licensing system's accounts and associate them to the bulk licensing node; and
Set the priorities describing the order in which accounts will be used.

Create one or more water accounts using the Resource Assessment Explorer (refer to Adding an account) and choose the bulk licensing node as the associated account host.

Note: The priority and share for each account can only be edited while the Accounts Enabled switch is ON.

The account usage priorities are set up in a similar manner as at a water user node. The account (or accounts) with the lowest value assigned to Priority will be used first and will continue to be used until there is no balance remaining. The process is repeated for each priority level in order of increasing priority level until there is no remaining balance in any account. In the case of two or more accounts having the same priority, usage is distributed in proportion to the share value of each account to the total share value at each priority level.

Figure 1. Bulk licensing node accounts

Specifying debiting locations

A bulk access licensing system's accounts can be debited at more than one location. These locations are specified by connecting one of the bulk licensing node's lateral link connectors to the lateral link connector on a gauge node.

General information on setting up a resource assessment system is covered here. Each bulk access licensing system requires its own secondary resource assessment system. The principal difference between primary and secondary systems is that in the latter, water is sourced from from one or more accounts held in another resource assessment system. To configure this, specify a function under Other Resources that will return the sum of balances of the bulk access licensing system's accounts.

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