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

November 2006 was dry across the State, with most districts receiving only about half of their usual rainfall. Light showers were recorded around Victoria in early and mid November, followed by two weeks of dry weather. A feature of the month was the wide fluctuation in temperatures – ranging from snowfalls down to low levels in mid-November to temperatures of over 40oC in the third week in the northwest of the State.

Streamflows

Given the prolonged dry conditions, catchments across the State are very dry, and the limited patchy rainfalls in November resulted in almost all streams showing a further deterioration in flows relative to the monthly average. At the end of November, over ninety percent of the State had streamflows that were less than 10% of the long-term average flow for the month. Flows recorded at a third of the gauged stations (13 out of 28) are the minimum ever recorded during November.

Storage Levels

Volumes in the major storages in Victoria reduced further by 3.5% in November. Melbourne Water's storages reduced by 1.9 % in November 2006 to finish the month at 41.5% of capacity (18.3% lower than at the same time last year).

Rural Water Authority storages decreased by 3.1% to be at 21% of capacity (36% lower than at the same time last year). Storages in the Glenelg-Wimmera Basin are at 5.3% of capacity compared with 9% at the same time last year. At the end of the month Lake Eildon was at 15% of capacity compared with 48.3% at the same time last year, and Rosslynne Reservoir was at 5.7% of capacity compared with 14.8% at the same time last year. Fires currently burning in the North-East of the State pose a possible threat to water supplies and water quality for towns reliant on drinking water from the surrounding catchments.

Urban Water Restrictions

A number of new or increased urban restrictions took effect during November 2006. Stage 1 restrictions were imposed for all towns serviced by North East Water. Stage 2 restrictions were imposed for all towns in the Western Water and Melbourne region, and for all towns in the Central Gippsland region. Towns in the Colac region went straight to Stage 2 restrictions from 30 November, due to a damaged transfer pipe. Stage 3 restrictions were imposed for Hamilton, Tarrington, Cavendish, Dunkeld, Birregurra, Forrest, and all towns in the greater Geelong and Bellarine Peninsula. Stage 4 restrictions were imposed for all towns serviced by the Ballarat system, the Maryborough system and the entire Westernport region.

The total number of towns subject to water restrictions from 30 November 2006 was 331 (compared with 180 at the same time in 2005). Forty-nine towns are currently on Stage 1, 96 on Stage 2, 63 on Stage 3, and 123 on Stage 4 restrictions.

Irrigation Allocations

Water allocations for the 2006/2007 season were updated by Goulburn-Murray Water on 1 December 2006. The scheduled end of the irrigation season has now been pushed out to 15 April 2007 (an extension of two weeks) due to savings in distribution system losses and lower than planned releases at Goulburn Weir. Emergency drought pumping at the Waranga Basin is still required to support the current allocation.

There is still no allocation for irrigation entitlements in the Campaspe and Loddon systems. The Goulburn system allocation remains at 23%. In the Murray system, the allocation remains at 95% of Water Right and Licensed Volume. In the Broken system the allocation increased to 65% of Licensed Volume. In the Bullarook System, customers supplied from Newlyn Reservoir have an allocation of 36% and the customers supplied from Hepburns Lagoon still have an allocation of 0%.

South of the Divide, because of the low storage situation, irrigation allocations for the 2006/2007 season are very low. In the south-west, allocations remain at 10% for the Bacchus Marsh and Werribee irrigation areas. Levels in the Deutgam Groundwater Management Area are low, and in order to protect the resource from seawater intrusion, allocations for the 2006/2007 season are at 25% of licensed volume.

In the east of the State, water availability on the Latrobe system is satisfactory with Blue Rock being at 74.2% of capacity, and an allocation of 100% has been made for diverters from this system. Lake Glenmaggie, which supplies the Thomson-Macalister Irrigation District, dropped to 18.9% of capacity during November; however, irrigation allocations remain at 45%. Rosslynne Reservoir is just below 6% of capacity and the allocation for Southern Rural Water diverters is 5%.

Seasonal Climate Outlook

The Seasonal Outlook released by the Bureau of Meteorology on 23 November 2006 for December to February shows a neutral pattern of odds for Victoria exceeding the median rainfall over the summer period. Chances of exceeding median maximum temperatures are 55-60% across the State. There was a further strengthening of all El Niño indicators during November with the event about to enter the maturing phase. Computer models indicate that this event is likely to peak around January/February 2007.