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 January 2025:

• Regional storages were 69% full.
  • 6% lower than the previous month (75%).
• Melbourne storages were 84% full.
  • 2% lower than the previous month (86%).
• Total Victorian storages were 71% full.
  • 5% lower than the previous month (76%).

Download the monthly dataset

Updated 20 February 2024. The next update is in mid-March 2025.

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 likely chance (55-70%) that March to May 2025 rainfall will exceed the median in East Gippsland. There is a near even chance (40-60%) across the rest of Victoria.
• Maximum daily temperatures in March to May 2025 are very likely to exceed the median (>80% chance) across most of Victoria, with a slightly lower chance (75-80%) in some parts of the north.
• Updated on 18 February 2025. The next update is expected on 25 February 2025.

• The Bureau's model forecasts neutral El Niño–Southern Oscillation (neither El Niño nor La Niña) from March until at least July. This is consistent with all surveyed international models.
• Sea surface temperatures in the Australian region during January 2025 were the warmest on record for all Januarys since records began in 1900.
• The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is neutral. The IOD typically has little association with Australian climate from December to April.
• The Southern Annular Mode (SAM) is negative as at 14 February.
• Updated on 18 February 2025. The next update is expected on 4 March 2025.

Current urban restrictions

As at 18 February 2025, 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 2025

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

Updated 4 February 2025. The next update is in early March 2025.

Graph of total number of towns on urban restrictions from January 2010 to January 2025

Stream restrictions

End-of-month stream restrictions - 2010 to 2025

As at 27 January 2025, there were 113 stream sections with restrictions or bans on licensed diversions across Victoria - 38 more than at the end of December 2024*. These are shown in red and purple in the map below.

Map of streams restricted as at 27 January 2025**

*  This count includes management sections subject to diversion restrictions (the term used for partial limitation on take) as well as complete bans on take.

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

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

Updated 30 January 2025. The next update is late February 2025.

Graph of total number of stream sections restricted from January 2010 to January 2025

Groundwater summary

Quarterly groundwater level trend update

1 July to 30 September 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 9 January 2025. The next update is March 2025 (for the October to December 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: 20/02/25