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 September 2024:

• Regional storages were 81.8% full.
  • 2.8% lower than the previous month (84.6%).
• Melbourne storages were 89.9% full.
  • 0.2% higher than the previous month (89.7%).
• Total Victorian storages were 83.0% full.
  • 2.4% lower than the previous month (85.4%).

Download the monthly dataset

Updated 18 October 2024. The next update is in mid-November 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 (50-65%) that December 2024 to February 2025 rainfall will exceed the median across most of the state. There is a higher chance (65-75%) of exceeding the median across far east Gippsland and parts of the west of the state.
• Minimum daily temperatures in December 2024 to February 2025 are very likely to exceed the median (>80% chance) for all of Victoria.
• Maximum daily temperatures in December 2024 to February 2025 are very likely to exceed the median (>80% chance) in coastal, central and north-eastern regions, and are likely (60-80%) to exceed the median across the rest of Victoria.
• Updated on 14 November 2024. The next update is expected on 21 November 2024.

• The El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is neutral. The Bureau's model suggests sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are likely to remain within the ENSO-neutral thresholds (−0.8 °C to +0.8 °C) throughout the forecast period to February 2025. The latest Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) index value is −0.69 °C for the week ending 11 November, marking the fifth week below the negative IOD threshold (−0.40 °C). All models indicate that the IOD index will meet or exceed negative IOD thresholds in November, with all but one returning to neutral levels in December.
• Global SSTs remain at near record levels as at 31 October, with temperatures since July being just short of the record temperatures observed during 2023, yet above all other years since observations began in 1854. The sustained nature of this significant global ocean heat suggests that climate indicators such as ENSO and IOD may not behave or evolve as they have in the past.
• The Southern Annular Mode (SAM) is positive at 10 November and is forecast to remain mostly positive for November. The Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO) is in the Western Hemisphere as at 10 November. Climate models indicate the MJO will continue to move eastwards towards the Indian Ocean over the coming week.
• Updated on 12 November 2024. The next update is expected on 26 November 2024.

Current urban restrictions

As at 14 November 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 31 October 2024. The next update is in early December 2024.

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

Stream restrictions

End-of-month stream restrictions - 2010 to 2024

As at the end of October 2024, there were 22 stream sections with restrictions or bans on licensed diversions across Victoria - 1 more than at the end of September 2024. These are shown in red and purple in the map below.

Map of unregulated streams restricted as at 21 October 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 24 October 2024. The next update is late November 2024.

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

Groundwater summary

Quarterly groundwater level trend update

1 April to 30 June 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 29 August 2024. The next update is November 2024 (for the July to September 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: 15/11/24