The Monthly Water Report provides a summary of the status of Victoria's water resources and water supplies at the end of the reporting month. It is based on validated water resource information provided by Victoria's 19 Urban and Rural Water Corporations and the Bureau of Meteorology. Each month's report is published online the following month. For detailed, specific and up-to-date information, please contact the relevant Water Corporation or the Bureau of Meteorology. Links to these organisations are located within the Monthly Water Report. 

Rainfall

Rainfall was well above average across most of the State during January. By mid-January Victoria had already experienced its wettest January on record, and widespread flooding occurred across northern and western Victoria.
Rainfall in East and West Gippsland was below average.

Stream flows

Of the 28 representative streamflow gauging stations, 22 stations recorded flows above 100% of the long-term January average at the end of the month. However, flow in far East Gippsland indicated drought conditions at the end of January, consistent with the region’s below average rainfall this month.

Storages

The total volume in Victoria’s major storages was 75.3% of total capacity at the end of the December. The volume in the State’s major regional storages increased by 0.6% to 79.1% of capacity, and Melbourne's storages finished the month at 53.0% - the same as at the end of December.

Restrictions on Urban Water Supplies

During January, Central Highlands Water removed restrictions for Ballarat and district and Maryborough and district. Coliban Water removed restrictions for over 25 towns, including Bendigo and Kyneton.
At the end of the month, 103 Victorian towns were still on restrictions, however, this is the lowest number of towns on restrictions for almost a decade.

Irrigation Allocations

Irrigation allocations in northern Victoria remained unchanged during January. Full allocations for high-reliability water shares are available for all systems, and full low-reliability allocations are available for the Broken, Bullarook and Campaspe systems.

Southern Rural Water increased the allocation for high-reliability shares in the Macalister Irrigation District to 95%. The low-reliability allocation for Werribee and Bacchus Marsh irrigators was increased to 45%.

The allocation for the Coliban rural system remained at 70% throughout November.
Grampians Wimmera-Mallee Water has deferred an irrigation channel run on the Wimmera Mallee supply system this year, in consultation with irrigators.

Restrictions on Unregulated Streams

At the end of December, diversions from a total of 16 unregulated streams and lakes across the state were subject to restrictions. This is significantly less than the same time last year when 161 streams were on restriction. It is the lowest number of streams on restriction in January for more than five years.

Seasonal Climate Outlook

While the Bureau of Meteorology’s latest rainfall outlook for February to April 2011 favours drier than average conditions over southern and eastern Australia, other indicators show wetter conditions persisting through autumn.

The Bureau reports that strong La Niña conditions remain in the Pacific Ocean. The 2010/11 event is one of the strongest on record. La Niña periods are generally associated with above normal rainfall during the second half of the year across large parts of Australia, most notably eastern and northern regions.