About the area
- The Central Gippsland groundwater catchment is in the state’s east, and it contains the Gippsland Lakes.
- The Central Gippsland groundwater catchment contains the Rosedale Groundwater Management Area (GMA), Wa De Lock GMA, Denison GMA, Sale Water Supply Protection Area (WSPA), Stratford GMA, Moe GMA, Yarram WSPA, and Wy Yung GMA. The area not covered by GMUs is reported as outside management units.
- The Stratford GMA and Yarram WSPA extend into the Seaspray groundwater catchment. The Moe GMA straddles this catchment and the Moe groundwater catchment.
- Groundwater resources supply licensed entitlements, domestic and stock use, and urban use to Sale, Boisdale, Briagolong, and Lindenow.
- Groundwater resources supply power generators in the Latrobe Valley.
More information on water management and accounting is detailed in Water explained.
2021-22 overview
Urban supply
Groundwater supplied 4 towns in the catchment.
Water use
Less water was used for consumptive purposes than the previous year.
Climate
Rainfall
Rainfall in the Central Gippsland groundwater catchment was very much above average in most areas, higher than the previous year. Rainfall was:
- among the highest on record around the Mitchell River National Park
- very much above average throughout the entire eastern and central regions of the catchment
- above average north in the Alpine national park, and west from around Heyfield
- average only in the far west, in the areas west of Churchill and Erica, and in a small area near Hotham Heights.
Groundwater level trends
In the accounts, groundwater level trends for groundwater management units (GMUs) have been determined based on monitoring data from key bores in the State Observation Bore Network. Trend determinations are made quarterly by comparing each reading to a previous reading in the same season 5 years prior. That is, a summer record is compared to the summer record from 5 years before to account for seasonality.
Groundwater resources are being actively managed. For more detail on the management responses go to the groundwater on the Southern Rural Water website.
In 2021-22, groundwater level trends in the Central Gippsland groundwater catchment were more stable than the previous year.
There are insufficient state observation bores in the Denison GMA to adequately define the groundwater resource or changes to the resource over time.
Table 1: Groundwater level trends, Central Gippsland groundwater catchment
Entitlements and use
Groundwater licence and use volumes in the Central Gippsland groundwater catchment are shown below. Some groundwater licences incorporate domestic and stock use, and in these cases the use is reported in the licensed volume.
The licenced volume used under entitlements must not exceed the volume made available to individual licensed entitlement holders. We report on compliance in the GMU local report and the Statewide groundwater .
Water used
Use in the Central Gippsland groundwater catchment was 41,216 ML, less than 58,562 ML in the previous year.
Entitlement volumes
Rights to water in the Central Gippsland groundwater catchment are shown below.
Table 2: Groundwater entitlements at 30 June, Central Gippsland groundwater catchment
Available water and use
The table below shows the total water available and used under entitlements, and estimated domestic and stock use in 2021-22. Total water available under entitlements is the sum of: opening carryover, allocation issued and the net trade in or out of water.
Estimated domestic and stock use is calculated based on an assumed usage per registered bore per year. In this catchment 1.5 ML usage per bore per year is assumed, except for Stratford GMA, with 2 ML per bore per year assumed.
More information on groundwater use and availability has been detailed in the How do we account for section.
In 2021-22, 41,216 ML of water was extracted for consumptive purposes, which was less than the 58,562 ML extracted in the previous year. Of this volume, 24,698 ML was for power generation use, 12,801 ML was for non-urban (irrigation) use, 1,841 ML was for urban use and 1,875 ML was estimated to be for domestic and stock use.
There were no restrictions on use in the Central Gippsland groundwater catchment in 2021-22.
Table 3: Groundwater availability and use, Central Gippsland groundwater catchment
Management responsibilities
Management of water in the Central Gippsland groundwater catchment is undertaken by Southern Rural Water.
| Authority | Management responsibilities |
|---|---|
| Southern Rural Water |
|
