The Victorian Government has invested in climate, hydrology and water resource research. This is part of our Water for Victoria commitment to better understand how climate change effects our water resources.
The insights from the research is used to inform long-term planning and climate change adaptation. The research also supports the Water Cycle Climate Change Adaptation Action Plan. This plan commits to deliver more resilient services to water sector customers.
Victorian Water and Climate Initiative
We launched the Victorian Water and Climate Initiative (VicWaCI) research program in 2017. This program seeks to understand our climate and water resource situation better.
Phase 1 of VicWaCI wrapped up in 2020 and was followed by phase 2 from 2021-2024.
The findings from VicWaCI phase 2 were summarised in Victoria’s water resources under a changing climate (PDF, 12.4 MB).
VicWaCI research findings also inform guidelines for assessing the impact of climate change on water availability in Victoria, which present a consistent approach for applying climate change scenarios across water resource assessments and planning.
Areas of application of the VicWaCI research findings include:
- water availability
- infrastructure investment
- water supply and demand
- water resource policy
- flooding
- urban stormwater runoff
- planning and investment for water dependent industries – such as agriculture and mine rehabilitation.
VicWaCI webinars also provide more information on the research for the water sector.
Page last updated: 25/09/25