MAJOR work on Victoria's $2 billion food bowl project could be delayed for six months or more following a ruling by Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett.

Just days after knocking back federal approval for Queensland's Traveston Dam, Mr Garrett ruled major work on the Northern Victorian Irrigation Renewal Project could not go ahead until a public environment report was completed on its impact on the region's wetlands and ecology.

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Mr Garrett's ruling, issued late last Friday night, stated: "The project will require assessment and approval under the EPBC (Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation) Act before it can proceed".

It's likely the report, public consultation and Mr Garrett's final ruling on NVIRP will take four to six months to complete.

NVIRP chief executive Murray Smith said the decision could affect some early works for stage two of the food bowl project next autumn, which is being funded by the Federal Government.

These works include plastic lining of channels, installation of channel regulators and other works affecting channel outfalls to wetlands or waterways.

However, Mr Smith said Mr Garrett's decision would have no impact on installing new meters and connections to irrigators' properties.

"It's (the public environment report) just a process that we need to work our way through," Mr Smith said.

The two-stage NVIRP project involves modernising the Goulburn-Murray Irrigation District to deliver water savings to irrigators, the environment and, more controversially, Melbourne.

However, most of the water due to be delivered to Melbourne next year, via the north-south pipeline, was not recovered from NVIRP projects and is unaffected by Mr Garrett's decision.

North-south pipeline opponent group Plug the Pipe had hoped Mr Garrett would reject the NVIRP project on the basis of its impact on downstream wetlands and waterways, cutting off NVIRP water savings for Melbourne.

But Plug the Pipe spokeswoman Jan Beer said she doubted Mr Garrett would reject NVIRP once the final report was completed.

Greens Water spokesman Greg Barber said Mr Garrett's decision vindicated the decision of the Victorian Upper House to disallow a regulatory amendment allowing the Victorian Government to divert NVIRP water savings to Melbourne.

"The (Victorian) Parliament was right to refuse approving it (the amendment) when the environmental impacts (of NVIRP) weren't known," Mr Barber said.

"Peter Garrett obviously agrees."