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 the State’s 20 urban and rural water corporations.

Rainfall

March rainfall totals were generally average across central, northeast and southwest Victoria, but were below average in the northwest and southeast. By the end of March, parts of the Northeast, Central and Western districts had received between 60% and 100% of the long-term average rainfall for March. In contrast, the Gippsland districts received less than 40%, and a large part of the Mallee received less than 20% of the March average.

Streamflows

Despite lower rainfall totals than February, the stream flow situation across the state did not worsen during March. Streams in the upper Alpine region were recording flows in excess of the long-term average for March. At the end of the month, just under two-thirds of streams across the state were exhibiting flows less than 10% of the long-term average for March.

Storage Levels

Volumes in the state’s major storages decreased by 2.4% in March. The decline of storage volumes, particularly in northern Victoria, is due to irrigation releases and generally low inflows. Storage volumes remain very low in central and northern Victoria. Melbourne's storages decreased by 2.2% during the month to finish at 33.2% of capacity which is 1.2% higher than at the same time last year.

Urban Water Restrictions

364 Victorian towns were on restriction as at 31 March 2008. Of these, 69 towns were on Stage 1, 48 were on Stage 2, 55 were on Stage 3, 18 were on Stage 3a, 77 on Stage 4 with general exemptions, and 97 on Stage 4. In northern Victoria, North East Water lifted restrictions for Wangaratta, Benalla, Corryong, Cudgewa, Dartmouth, Moyhu, Oxley, Springhurst and Glenrowan, and reduced Stage 2 restrictions to Stage 1 for Whitfield from 12 March 2008.

Irrigation Allocations

Irrigation allocations were still extremely low across northern, central and western Victoria at the end of March. In northern Victoria, allocations were increased on the Broken, Campaspe, Goulburn and Murray systems due to efficient system operations and modest inflows during March. The seasonal allocation for Coliban Water’s rural system remained at 35%, whilst the irrigation allocation remained at zero in the Wimmera-Mallee supply system.

In southern Victoria, allocations in the Werribee and Bacchus Marsh Irrigation District remained at 8% and Southern Rural Water continued the ban on access to groundwater in the Deutgam Groundwater Management Area. Although storage levels in Blue Rock Lake are higher than at the same time last year and there is enough water for the power stations, the regulated irrigation allocation from Blue Rock Lake stood at just 17.3%.

Allocations remained at 200% for all irrigators within the Macalister Irrigation District (MID), and for diverters on the Thomson River, Macalister River and Rainbow Creek.

Restrictions on Diversions

At the end of March, diversions from a total of 164 unregulated streams and lakes across the state were subject to some form of restriction. This is less than at the same time last year when 217 streams were on restriction.

Seasonal Climate Outlook

The Bureau of Meteorology released the latest rainfall outlook on 28 March. The outlook for the June quarter (April - June) indicates that the chance of exceeding the three-month median rainfall is 50 to 55% across most of Victoria. The La Niña event showed the first signs of weakening in March and continues to decline. All the dynamic computer models predict La Niña conditions in the central Pacific to decay to neutral over the next couple of months. The models do not suggest El Niño conditions will return during 2008.