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The Evidence base for Victorian water: availability and knowledge initiative enabled delivery of the essential water availability information that underpins water security for Victoria. It also provided the government with the critically important continuity of capacity and expertise in the department to deal with increasingly dry conditions and the pressures this brings.

This initiative delivered 4 Water for Victoria actions (either in full or in part), including:

  • Action 2.2: Understand and apply climate science to water management.
  • Action 8.6: Commence the long-term water resource assessment process.
  • Action 8.10: To provide clear information about water resources to the community.
  • Action 8.11: To improve water resource information to support planning and decisions.

This initiative also complemented the initiatives that addressed water sharing (the rules and levers for sharing water) and the Water Register (the technology platform that records water use and entitlements).

Environmental contribution 5 (EC5)

Understand and apply climate science to water

The Victorian Water and Climate Initiative (VicWaCI) is an initiative to implement Action 2.2 in Water for Victoria.

This action continues to build our understanding of how climate change will affect water resources by:

  • investing in research to improve Victoria’s understanding of how water resources are changing under different climate change scenarios
  • building partnerships with stakeholders to understand research needs, share and apply research insights to policy, planning and practice.

VicWaCI seeks to better understand our climate and water resource situation through its partnership between the Victorian water sector, the department, the Bureau of Meteorology, and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).

Surface water assessment and modelling

This program undertakes surface water assessment and modelling tasks to support the sustainable management of Victoria’s water resources including:

  • the security and transparency of the Victorian entitlement framework and planning
  • effective interstate water-sharing arrangements.

The surface water analysis and models are fundamental to the delivery of Water for Victoria actions and informing Government’s decision-making on initiatives to sustainably manage water resources such as:

  • Victoria’s water grid augmentation
  • the quantification of climate change impacts
  • sustainable diversion limits under Murray-Darling Basin Plan
  • long-term water resource assessments
  • sustainable water strategies and urban water strategies
  • sharing of resources between consumptive, environmental, recreational and cultural users.

Long-Term Water Resource Assessment

Long-Term Water Resource Assessments (LTWRAs) are a key tool to monitor the state of Victoria’s water resources.

The assessments consider whether long-term resource availability has changed and if so, how the impact has been shared between consumptive use and the environment.

The evidence base and analysis used to inform the LTWRA in southern Victoria has been extended and ongoing technical expertise provided to support the development and implementation of initiatives like the CGRSWS and the 2023 Latrobe Valley Regional Rehabilitation Strategy (LVRRS) Amendment. This includes support for the CGRSWS actions that respond to the findings of the LTWRA.

Groundwater assessment and modelling

The groundwater assessment and modelling program includes:

  • Reviewing and assessing the sustainable level of groundwater use in 75% of systems across Victoria.
  • Provision of expert analysis, advice and input into policy development and licensing decisions for the sustainable management of groundwater resources.
  • Refurbishment of State Observation Bores.
  • Supporting the administration and technical assessments of the Victorian – South Australian Border Groundwater Agreement.

This program continues to deliver on Action 8.11 of Water for Victoria to improve water resource information to support planning and decisions, and enable several other actions listed in Water for Victoria.

The project also delivers on some of the Minister’s obligations under the Water Act 1989Water Act 2007 (Cwlth), Water Amendment Act 2008 (Cwlth), Sustainable Diversion Limit compliance, and the Groundwater (Border Agreement) Act 1985.

Surface water and ground water monitoring

This program focuses on the fundamental role of government as steward of the state’s water resources, which includes:

  • Establishing and maintaining water monitoring assets;
  • Delivering a water quantity and quality monitoring program; and
  • Communicating information.

This program supports the security and transparency of the Victorian entitlement framework and planning and is required to meet obligations under the Water Act 1989 and implementation of commitments in Water for Victoria.

This requires government oversight to ensure it provides access to water resource information that is clear, transparent, and user-friendly for the community and stakeholders.

Improved water monitoring, analysis and sharing of information assists environmental and consumptive water users to understand the options available to them and to use those options to meet the challenges of changing industry circumstances and water availability.

Surface water and groundwater monitoring data is collected as part of the Regional Water Monitoring Partnership (RWMP). The RWMP consists of over 55 partners that come together to share the cost of monitoring. DEECA manages and coordinates the RWMP on behalf of the current partners.

Monitoring, modelling and analysis

Ongoing monitoring from Victoria’s key gauging stations and groundwater observation bores is a vital input to the modelling and analysis required to develop our understanding of both short-term variability and long-term trends in the state’s water resources. This knowledge basis is vital for long-term and short-term planning and licensing decisions, compliance, and enforcement. The department works with water corporations and catchment management authorities to:

  • continue to invest in ongoing statewide surface water and groundwater monitoring networks.
  • improve the quality and accuracy of monitoring data through investment in infrastructure upgrades and new technologies to receive more timely data.
  • improve the accessibility of data and provide a range of information products that meet community expectations.

Water accounting and reporting

We are the business owner for Victorian Water Register (VWR) services, with the department delegated the Minister’s legislative responsibilities to:

  • issue water allocation against entitlements in accordance with the respective resource managers’ seasonal determinations
  • apply carryover rules for unused water allocation and licence volumes.
  • apply water trading rules.

The department's Water Accounting and Reporting function is also responsible for:

  • producing the annual Victorian Water Accounts, a comprehensive annual account of the use and availability of Victoria’s water resources
  • water register help desk function
  • ensuring the collection of funds for the operation of the register as per agreed cost sharing with the register partners
  • working with rural water corporations to improve water register services to enhance the customer experience and reduce processing costs
  • contributing to the development of the new water register.

More information on how EC5 supports the Victorian Water Register.

Knowledge and insights

To deliver equitable and transparent water stewardship, the government must ensure water information is published in a clear and accessible manner for policymakers, water users and the public as a whole.

The project's purpose was to take water data, information and reports created by the department and make it easier for the public to find, understand and engage with this information.

An additional planned component of this initiative was the development of a water insights library to improve the department’s internal cataloguing of water data. However, this component did not proceed past the feasibility stage due to funding constraints.

Page last updated: 28/10/24