NORTHERN Victorian irrigators will see less than 80 per cent of the $1 billion earmarked for a major upgrade of their system spent on the ground.

Figures from the Northern Victoria Irrigation Renewal Project show there has been $778 million budgeted for on-ground work and $222 million for managing contractor's costs and contingencies.

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The Victorian Opposition has branded the $222 million as "very high" for a project of this scale.

The Northern Victoria Irrigation Renewal Project is funded $600 million from the Victorian Government, $300 million from Melbourne Water and $100 million from Goulburn Murray irrigators.

NVIRP confirmed $615 million was budgeted for works in the Central Goulburn, Murray Valley, Pyramid Boort, Rochester and Torumbarry irrigation areas.

The figure included external project-management costs "such as cultural heritage monitoring and the costs in meeting the State and Commonwealth environmental planning requirements".

A further $113 million was spent on the 2008 early works program and $50 million on operating costs.

Nationals Member for Rodney Paul Weller said the remaining $222 million for contingencies and managing contractor's costs was "out of the park" in comparison to other industries.

"On a project of this size, I would say 5 per cent would be more reasonable," Mr Weller said.

He said there were questions about what would happen to any unspent funds if the project was completed for less than $1 billion.

NVIRP spokeswoman Merrill Boyd said NVIRP has an agreement with the State Government that the money "would be repaid to the State in the absence of any further agreement on how the unspent funding is to be dealt with following consultation between the State and NVIRP".

Meanwhile, NVIRP is heading to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal next month to face a Nationals MP freedom of information request about the project's business case.

Nationals deputy leader Peter Walsh said he understood the Victorian Government would release the business case for the project ahead of the February 11 VCAT hearing.

A spokesman for Water Minister Tim Holding said the business case would be released shortly.