DELWP regularly updates the community on the status of the state’s water across a variety of categories including storage levels, rainfall, and seasonal outlooks.
Contact the water reporting team at water.reporting@delwp.vic.gov.au for additional information or assistance.
Major storage levels
| Storage | Storage Level (%) | Source data date | Previous Week’s Level (%) | 2018 Level (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melbourne Water | ||||
| Thomson | 55.9 | 23-Jan | 55.7 | 57.0 |
| Cardinia | 81.8 | 23-Jan | 82.1 | 64.4 |
| Upper Yarra | 43.9 | 23-Jan | 43.8 | 54.0 |
| Sugarloaf | 94.9 | 23-Jan | 94.5 | 58.4 |
| Silvan | 87.6 | 23-Jan | 86.6 | 87.1 |
| Tarago | 65.0 | 23-Jan | 64.9 | 77.7 |
| Yan Yean | 69.0 | 23-Jan | 68.7 | 78.0 |
| Greenvale | 85.2 | 23-Jan | 83.2 | 89.7 |
| Maroondah | 87.7 | 23-Jan | 86.7 | 68.9 |
| O'Shannassy | 11.2 | 23-Jan | 8.4 | 14.8 |
| All storages | 62.6 | 23-Jan | 62.4 | 59.9 |
| Goulburn-Murray Water | ||||
| Dartmouth* | 50.0 | 23-Jan | 50.9 | 68.2 |
| Hume* | 20.4 | 23-Jan | 21.3 | 33.8 |
| Eildon | 40.4 | 23-Jan | 40.9 | 51.0 |
| Eppalock (Total) | 29.5 | 23-Jan | 29.8 | 46.9 |
| Cairn Curran | 42.5 | 23-Jan | 43.0 | 40.1 |
| Nillahcootie | 29.5 | 23-Jan | 30.5 | 46.7 |
| Tullaroop | 71.4 | 23-Jan | 72.0 | 46.5 |
| Barwon Water | ||||
| Geelong and district | 62.8 | 22-Jan | 63.8 | 50.0 |
| Central Highlands Water | ||||
| Ballarat and district | 87.0 | 21-Jan | 87.6 | 69.2 |
| Coliban Water | ||||
| Coliban Southern | 77.6 | 23-Jan | 79.3 | 71.8 |
| Gippsland Water | ||||
| Moondarra | 94.4 | 23-Jan | 94.3 | 95.2 |
| Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water | ||||
| Grampians storages | 35.7 | 22-Jan | 36.4 | 44.1 |
| South Gippsland Water | ||||
| Major systems | 88.6 | 17-Jan | 89.6 | 88.8 |
| Southern Rural Water | ||||
| Glenmaggie | 53.6 | 23-Jan | 52.9 | 49.6 |
| Blue Rock | 99.0 | 23-Jan | 98.3 | 89.8 |
| Werribee Basin** | 61.3 | 23-Jan | 61.5 | 42.9 |
| Rosslynne | 22.6 | 23-Jan | 23.1 | 23.4 |
| Westernport Water | ||||
| Candowie | 81.7 | 19-Jan | 83.3 | 59.6 |
* Victoria has a 50% share of inflows to Dartmouth and in Hume
** Werribee Basin storage value is the combined volume of the Melton, Merrimu and Pykes reservoirs
Rainfall in the last seven days
Rainfall in the Melbourne Region in the last seven days:
| Date | Melbourne (Olympic Park) | Upper Yarra | Thomson | Geelong |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | Rainfall (mm) | Rainfall (mm) | Rainfall (mm) | |
| 17-Jan | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.8 |
| 18-Jan | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.8 | 0.0 |
| 19-Jan | 0.0 | 2.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| 20-Jan | 0.4 | 10.4 | 43.2 | 0.0 |
| 21-Jan | 44.0 | 37.0 | 19.0 | 0.8 |
| 22-Jan | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| 23-Jan | 22.8 | 40.0 | 20.8 | 34.6 |
| Total | 67.2 | 89.8 | 86.2 | 36.2 |
Total rainfall received this month
Total rainfall received this month in the Melbourne Region:
| Site | Rainfall (mm) - Total month to date | January Rainfall Average (mm) | Calculation method (for average) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melbourne (Olympic Park) | 135.8 | 45.1 | Mean rainfall (mm) - 30-year period 1981 -2010 from Melbourne Regional Office gauge |
| Upper Yarra | 191.8 | 58.8 | As per Melbourne Water |
| Thomson | 141.4 | 61.2 | As per Melbourne Water |
| Geelong | 101.8 | 37.3 | Mean rainfall (mm) - 28-year period 1983 - 2011 from Grovedale (Geelong Airport) gauge |
Seasonal Climate Outlook
The BOM climate outlook, issued 23 January 2020 indicates:
The chances of a wetter or drier than average February to April are roughly equal for most of Australia, however, scattered parts of eastern Australia have a slightly increased chance of being drier than average.
Recent rainfall has been beneficial for some areas. However, while outlooks for drier than average conditions have eased compared to those issued for late 2019, several months of above average rainfall are needed to see a recovery from current long-term rainfall deficiencies.
Daytime temperatures for February to April are likely to be above average across almost all of Australia except parts of the southwest and southern Tasmania. February to April nights are very likely to be warmer than average for most of the country.
Most climate influences are neutral, however, the long-term warming trend coupled with warm and dry soils are keeping temperature outlooks warmer than average.
The next update is expected on 30 January 2020 (pm)
View the full outlook on the BOM Website.
ENSO Outlook
The El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Outlook was issued on on 21 January 2020.
Both the ENSO and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) are neutral. When these main climate drivers are neutral, Australia’s climate can be influenced by more local or short-term climate drivers.
Tropical waters near and to the west of the Date Line remain warmer than average, potentially drawing some moisture away from Australia. Additionally, tropical cyclone Tino, in combination with the passage of the Madden-Julian Oscillation, has provided a burst of westerly winds in the western Pacific, with potential to further warm parts of the western Pacific in the coming week or two.
The IOD typically has little influence on Australian climate from December to April. However, the effects from the strong positive IOD event that occurred in the second half of 2019 persist, with the landscape primed for bushfire weather and heatwaves this summer.
Most climate models indicate ENSO will remain neutral until at least the end of the southern hemisphere autumn.
Next update is expected 4 February 2020
View the full outlook on the BOM Website.
Seasonal Determinations
Seasonal determinations are made against water shares to provide allocations in declared systems. 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.
| System | Seasonal Determinations | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goulburn-Murray Water - 2019-20 | |||
| HRWS | LRWS | ||
| Murray | 56% | 0% | as at 15 Jan 2020 |
| Broken | 0% | 0% | |
| Goulburn | 68% | 0% | |
| Campaspe | 65% | 0% | |
| Loddon | 68% | 0% | |
| Bullarook | 100% | 100% | |
| Southern Rural Water - 2019-20 | |||
| HRWS | LRWS | ||
| Bacchus Marsh/Werribee | 100% | 60% | as at 14 Jan 2020 |
| Thomson/Macalister | 100% | 20% | as at 14 Jan 2020 |
| Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water - 2019-20 | |||
| Wimmera-Mallee Pipeline Product | 36% | as at 3 Jan 2020 | |
| Coliban Water- 2019-20 | |||
| Coliban Rural System | 100% | Opening announcement 1 July 2019 | |
Additional Information
Weather and Climate
For most up to date information regarding rainfall conditions, seasonal climate outlooks and other climate information, visit the Bureau of Meteorology site.
Groundwater Restrictions
For current groundwater restrictions visit the Goulburn-Murray Water, Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water and Southern Rural Water sites.
Seasonal Determinations
Seasonal determinations are made against water shares to provide allocations (Glossary). Visit the Victorian Water Register website for current determinations.
Seasonal Determination Outlook
The Northern Victoria Resource Manager provides information about risk of spill and resource outlook (Glossary) for seasonal determinations.
Water Register and Market Information
The Water Register is a public register of all water-related entitlements in Victoria. It has been designed and built to record water entitlements with integrity and provide crucial information for managing Victoria’s water resources.
You can obtain information about trading water in Victoria at the Victorian Water Register Site. Water products that may be traded in Victoria include water shares, allocations and take and use licences (Glossary)
Urban Water Restrictions
Water restrictions are only applicable to customers on a piped water (reticulated) supply. Urban water corporations publish water restrictions on their websites. Visit the Water in Your Region page to find your urban water corporation via the interactive map.
The Bureau of Meteorology’s Water Restrictions also provides a summary of water restrictions.
Visit the DELWP water restrictions page for more detail on the types of restrictions.
Environmental Water Releases
To learn how water for the environment is being used across the rivers and wetlands of Victoria, visit the Victorian Environmental Water Holder website.
Drought Management
Victorian's Drought Preparedness and Response Framework is being used to support drought-affected communities, Visit the Drought Section of the Agriculture Victoria website for further information.
Page last updated: 23/01/20