Current water snapshot

The status of the state’s water resources across various categories, including storage levels, rainfall and seasonal outlooks.

Water storage levels

• Melbourne Water storage levels

* Victoria has a 50% share of inflows to Dartmouth and in Hume

• Goulburn-Murray Water storage levels
• Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water storage levels

* Werribee Basin storage value is the combined volume of the Melton, Merrimu and Pykes reservoirs

• Barwon Water storage levels
• Central Highlands Water storage levels
• Coliban Water storage levels
• Gippsland Water storage levels
• South Gippsland Water storage levels
• Westernport Water storage levels

Monthly storage levels

As of the end of June 2024:

• Regional storages were 80.7% full.
  • 1.2% higher than the previous month (79.5%).
• Melbourne storages were 86.5% full.
  • 0.8% lower than the previous month (87.3%).
• Total Victorian storages were 81.5% full.
  • 0.8% higher than the previous month (80.7%).

Download the monthly dataset

Updated 18 July 2024. The next update is in mid-August 2024.

Regional, Melbourne and all Victoria monthly storage levels

Bureau of Meteorology rainfall maps

On the Bureau of Meteorology websites, view

• map of rainfall received in the past 7 days
• map of total rainfall received month to date

• There is a moderate chance (55-70%) that August to October rainfall will exceed the median in eastern Gippsland, the Hume and parts of far north-west Victoria. There is a less likely chance (40-55%) elsewhere.
• Minimum daily temperatures in August to October are very likely to exceed the median (>80% chance) for all of Victoria.
• Maximum daily temperatures in August to October are very likely to exceed the median (>80% chance) for most of Victoria, except for north-western and north-central Victoria, and part of East Gippsland, where the chance slightly decreases to 70-80%.
• Updated on 25 July 2024. The next update is expected on 1 August 2024.

• The Bureau's ENSO Outlook remains at La Niña Watch, giving equal chance to either ENSO remaining neutral or La Niña developing during the remainder of 2024.
• Sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the central Pacific Ocean have been cooling since December 2023. ENSO is likely to remain neutral until at least early spring. Four of 7 climate models suggest SSTs are likely to reach the La Niña threshold (below −0.8 °C) by October, whereas the remaining 3 maintain ENSO-neutral throughout the forecast period.
• The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is currently neutral. The outlooks indicate that the IOD will likely remain neutral until at least the end of winter. Three of 5 climate models indicate a negative IOD will likely develop during spring, whereas 2 maintain a neutral state of IOD.
• Global sea surface temperatures have been the warmest on record for each month between April 2023 and June 2024. July 2024 SSTs are comparable with 2023 but are much warmer than for any other July on record. These global patterns of warmth differ to historical global patterns of sea surface temperatures associated with ENSO and IOD; therefore, future predictions based on historical SSTs during past ENSO or IOD events may not be reliable.
• Updated on 23 July 2024. The next update is expected on 6 August 2024.

Current urban restrictions

As at 25 July 2024, there were no towns on restrictions, with permanent water saving rules in place across Victoria. The last time urban restrictions were in place was in June 2020, when 20 towns were on stage 1 restrictions.

Urban water corporations publish water restrictions on their websites.

Find your urban water corporation.

Monthly urban restrictions - 2010 to 2024

The graph and data below are updated at the end of each month.

Updated 4 July 2024. The next update is in early August 2024.

Graph of total number of towns on urban restrictions from January 2010 to June 2024

Stream restrictions

End-of-month stream restrictions - 2010 to 2024

As at the end of June 2024, there were 61 stream sections with restrictions or bans on licensed diversions across Victoria - 5 fewer than at the end of May 2024. These are shown in red and purple in the map below.

Map of unregulated streams restricted as at 17 June 2024*

* This map is for indicative purposes only and licence holders should refer to their respective water corporation regarding unregulated stream restrictions. This map does not display all unregulated stream restrictions.

The graph and data below are as at the end of each month.

Updated 20 June 2024. The next update is early August 2024.

Graph of total number of unregulated stream sections restricted from January 2010 to June 2024

Groundwater summary

Quarterly groundwater level trend update

1 January to 31 March 2024 quarter.

Groundwater level trends in groundwater management units (GMUs) are reported quarterly. Groundwater level trends for GMUs have been determined based on 5 years (short-term) or 10 years (long-term) of consistent monitoring data from key bores in the State Observation Bore Network (SOBN).

There are 2 categories of GMUs:

• Groundwater management areas (GMAs).
• Water supply protection areas (WSPAs).

Updated 20 June 2024. The next update is August 2024 (for the April to June 2024 quarter).

Short and long term groundwater level trend maps

Groundwater restrictions

In 2024-25, 3 GMUs are subject to allocation restrictions:

• Barnadown (Lower Campaspe Valley WSPA) at 75%.
• Deutgam WSPA at 50%.
• Neuarpur subzone 1 (West Wimmera GMA) at 80%.

Updated 4 July 2024. The next update is July 2025.

Seasonal determinations and allocations

Seasonal determinations are made against water shares to provide allocations in declared systems. These can be for high reliability (HRWS) or low reliability (LRWS) water shares. In northern Victoria, Goulburn-Murray Water makes the seasonal determinations in the relevant systems, while Southern Rural Water makes the seasonal determinations in the Thomson/Macalister and Bacchus Marsh/Werribee systems.

In the Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water area, resource assessments are undertaken every month to determine the amount of water that can be made available to entitlement holders. These monthly assessments result in a formal announcement on water allocations.

Coliban Water assesses seasonal allocations for customers on its rural network based on available resources in the Coliban System.

Goulburn-Murray Water

Southern Rural Water

Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water

Coliban Water

Page last updated: 26/07/24