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

The hot and dry conditions experienced across Victoria during January continued throughout February. Total monthly rainfall was very much below the long-term normal across most of the state.

Fifteen rainfall-recording sites across Victoria experienced their lowest February rainfall on record (of these sites, nine recorded no rainfall at all). A further 29 sites recorded their lowest February rainfall for 20 years.

Streamflows

Streamflows across Victoria continued to decline due to very low rainfall and warm and windy conditions.

Of the 28 representative gauging stations, no flow conditions were recorded at 16 stations, the highest number on record. A further six stations exhibited flows less than 10% of the long-term average for February.

Storage Volumes

Storages levels across Victoria continued to decline after very low rainfall throughout February. At the end of the month, the total volume in the state’s major storages was 15.4% of capacity. This is a decrease of 2% over the month.

Melbourne's storages decreased by 2.2% during the month to 30.9% of capacity. Regional water storages decreased by 2% to 13.3% of capacity.

Restrictions on Urban Water Supplies

During February, Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water reduced restrictions to Stage 3 for 17 towns and introduced Stage 4 exemptions for 35 towns.

North East Water increased restrictions to Stage 1 for Harrietville, Bright, Porepunkah and Yackandandah, Stage 2 for Springhurst and Chiltern,   and Stage 3 for Goorambat.

South Gippsland Water introduced Stage 2 restrictions for Yarram, Devon North, Alberton and Port Albert.

The total number of Victorian towns on restriction as at 28 February 2009 was 343, of which 71 towns were on Stage 1, 51 were on Stage 2, 57 were on Stage 3, 19 on Stage 3a, 102 on Stage 4 with general exemptions, and 43 on Stage 4. Approximately 170 towns were not on water restrictions and were subject to Permanent Water Saving Rules.

Irrigation Allocations

During February, G-MW increased allocations by 1% to 30% on the Goulburn system and the Murray system stayed at 35%. Allocations remained at 0% on all other northern systems.

G-MW released the first seasonal allocation outlook for the 2009/10 season on 16 February 2009. All systems are expected to have zero seasonal allocation on 1 July 2009. The inflow period between July and November 2009 will be critical to supporting irrigation allocations in the 2009/10 season.

The allocation on both the Coliban Rural System and the Wimmera-Mallee irrigation supply system remained at zero per cent during February.

In southern Victoria, the seasonal allocation for the Werribee and Bacchus Marsh irrigation districts remained at 5% of high reliability water share.

At the end of February, Lake Glenmaggie was at 49.6% of capacity and the allocation for the Macalister Irrigation District remained at 95%. The irrigation share of Blue Rock was 80.6 ML or 1.9% of regulated allocation at the end of February.

Restrictions on Unregulated Streams

At the end of February, diversions from a total of 190 unregulated streams and lakes across the state were subject to some form of restriction. This is greater than this time last year when 149 streams were on restriction.

Seasonal Climate Outlook

The rainfall outlook for the period March to May 2009 was released by the Bureau of Meteorology on 20 February 2009. The outlook shows no strong bias towards either wetter or drier conditions for Victoria. The chances of being wetter than normal are about the same as the chances of being drier.

The Bureau’s latest ENSO Wrap-Up was issued on 18 February 2009. The slight warming of the equatorial Pacific Ocean did not continue into February. Sea surface temperatures in the far eastern Pacific remain neutral. Sub surface temperatures in the central Pacific have cooled slightly. Model outlooks suggest that the cooler sea surface conditions in the Pacific may persist only briefly into autumn 2009. The Indian Ocean Dipole remains neutral.