A Victorian river has received a significant water donation from private landholders. 

The Murray-Darling Basin has been boosted in north-east Victoria after a private landholder donated 50 megalitres of water entitlements to the King River, alongside another donation from the Taungurung Land and Waters Council.

The traditional owners group usually donates about 95 per cent of its water entitlements each year, including to King River, and North East Catchment Management Authority water resources officer Catherine McInerney says the river has now received a donation from a private landholder for the first time. 

“A landholder approached us and said they weren't not going to be using their water and asked what beneficial uses it could be used for,” Ms McInerney has told reporters.

“It was something we had been thinking of before but hadn't really made the call out for this type of donation before, so it was a bit of a trial in some senses.

“I spoke to them about what we could do with the water by combining it with ours and we thought that was the best way.”:

The private landholder wishes to remain anonymous.

“It's not a big entitlement by any means,” Ms McInerney said.

“It's probably small in the scheme of water volumes along the King, but by joining forces we're doing the best we can to improve some of those environmental values along the system.”