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

February rainfall totals were generally average across central and southwest Victoria, below average in the northwest and above average in the east. By the end of the month, parts of West Gippsland and the Northeast had received in excess of 200% of the long-term average rainfall for February. In contrast, northern Wimmera and Mallee districts did not record more than 20% of the February average. Melbourne received 24.4 mm of rain during the month, which is below the long-term February average of 45.8mm.

Streamflows

February began and ended with light falls across eastern and southern Victoria. Significant rainfall events were recorded in parts of the Alpine, Gippsland and North East regions. As a result, a number of streams in these regions exhibited flows close to or above the long-term average for February. However, streamflows across the rest of Victoria remain below average. By the end of the month, streams across two-thirds of the state were exhibiting flows less than 10% of the long-term February average.

Storage Levels

Rural water corporation storages decreased by 1.7% to finish the month at 20.0% of capacity (8.1% higher than at the same time last year). In northern and western Victoria, volumes in the major storages decreased in all but Lake Eppalock, which recorded an increase in storage levels due to deliveries from the Superpipe. Storage volumes also declined in the major storages in southern Victoria in February. The decline of storage volumes throughout the state is due to demand for irrigation and modest inflows. Melbourne Water's storages decreased by 1.8% during the month to finish at 35.4% of capacity. This is 1.3% higher than at the same time last year.

Urban Water Restrictions

373 Victorian towns were on restriction as at 29 February 2008. 76 towns were on Stage 1, 50 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, Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water reduced restrictions for Quambatook from Stage 4 to Stage 2 on 11 February. There were no other changes to towns on restrictions throughout the State during the month.

Irrigation Allocations 

Irrigation allocations were still extremely low across northern, central and western Victoria at the end of February. In northern Victoria, allocations were increased on the Murray, Broken, Goulburn and Campaspe systems due to low delivery rates and efficient operations during February. The increases in the Murray system were primarily a result of amended interstate sharing arrangements in the Murray-Darling Basin announced by the Minister on 5 February. 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% of water right and licensed volume 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 last year, the regulated irrigation allocation from Blue Rock Lake stood at just 17.3% due to being heavily drawn upon last season.

In contrast, irrigation allocations are relatively high in the Macalister Irrigation District (MID). Continuing inflows allowed SRW to increase the allocation three times in February, from 115% to 200%, for all irrigators within the MID, and for diverters on the Thomson River, Macalister River and Rainbow Creek.

Restrictions on Diversions 

At the end of February, diversions from a total of 149 unregulated streams and lakes across the State were subject to some form of restriction. This is significantly less than at the same time last year when 198 streams were on restriction.

Seasonal Climate Outlook

The latest rainfall outlook was released by the Bureau of Meteorology on 26 February. The outlook for autumn (March - May) indicates that the chance of exceeding the three-month median rainfall is 45 to 55% across most of Victoria. The La Niña event is mature and has been the main factor behind the enhanced eastern Australian rainfall since November. All the dynamic computer models predict La Niña conditions until at least the end of autumn 2008.