The Monthly Water Report provides a statewide monthly summary of the status of water resources and water supplies. Each month's report is published online towards the end of the following month. It is based on data provided by Victoria's 19 urban and rural water corporations.

Rainfall

Rainfall totals were close to the long-term June average across most of the state. Parts of northwest Victoria received above average rainfall for June. Except for East Gippsland and part of the southwest coast, most of southern Victoria received below average rainfall for June.

Streamflows

Despite average rainfall across much of the state, streamflows across Victoria at the end of the month had worsened since May.

No flows were recorded at 10 of the 28 representative gauging stations at the end of June. All representative gauging stations exhibited flows less than 10% of the long-term average for June.

Storage Volumes

The rate of storage level decline across Victoria has slowed. Some storages in the northeast, west and south showed small signs of recovery in June.

This month, the total volume in the state’s major storages increased to 13.9% of capacity.

Melbourne's storages decreased by 0.3% over the month to 26% of capacity. Regional water storages increased by 1.5% to 12.2% of capacity at the end of June.

Restrictions on Urban Water Supplies

North East Water increased restrictions at Glenrowan to Stage 3 from 3 June, and introduced Stage 1 restrictions for all its Murray towns on 5 June, except Bundalong and Yarrawonga. South Gippsland Water removed restrictions for towns on the Tarra system from 4 June. Coliban Water reduced Stage 4 restrictions at Axedale to Stage 3 from 19 June 2009.

337 Victorian towns were on restrictions on 30 June 2009. Of these, 76 towns were on Stage 1 restrictions, 38 were on Stage 2, 52 were on Stage 3, 19 on Stage 3a, 105 on Stage 4 with general exemptions and 47 on Stage 4. Approximately 170 towns were subject to Permanent Water Saving Rules.

Irrigation Allocations

G-MW made the final allocations for the 2008/09 season on 1 April 2009.

They were 35% on the Murray system, 33% on the Goulburn system and 0% for all other northern systems.

G-MW updated the seasonal allocation outlook for the 2009/10 season on 15 May 2009. All northern Victorian systems are expected to have zero seasonal allocation on 1 July 2009. Allocations in the 2009/10 season will depend completely on winter and spring inflows to storages.

Allocations on both the Coliban Rural System and the Wimmera-Mallee irrigation supply system remained at zero per cent during 2008/09.

In southern Victoria, the seasonal allocation for the Werribee and Bacchus Marsh irrigation districts closed at 5% of high reliability water share on 30 June 2009.

At the end of the month, Lake Glenmaggie was at 21.6% of capacity.  The irrigation season for the Macalister Irrigation District closed on 15 May with allocations at 100% for high-reliability water shares and 10% for low-reliability. The irrigation share of Blue Rock was 314 ML at the end of June.

Restrictions on Unregulated Streams

At the end of June, diversions from a total of 184 unregulated streams and lakes across the state were subject to restrictions. This is greater than this time last year when 156 streams were on restriction.

Seasonal Climate Outlook

The Bureau of Meteorology released the rainfall outlook for the period July to September on 23 June 2009. The outlook does not show a significant shift in the odds favouring drier than normal conditions for Victoria. The chances of exceeding the median rainfall are between 40% and 45% across most of the state, with between 45% and 55% in east Gippsland and between 35% and 40% for southwest Victoria.

The Bureau issued the ENSO Wrap-Up on 17 June 2009. The signs of a developing El Niño have strengthened during the past fortnight. Many computer models remain firm in their predictions of an El Niño event in 2009.  Another adverse sign for southeastern Australian rainfall is the recent trend to positive values in the Indian Ocean Dipole.