About the area
- The Murrayville Groundwater Management Area (GMA) covers a Tertiary Limestone Aquifer in northwest Victoria, between the Murray Sunset National Park and the Big Desert. The western border of the GMA lies along the Victoria-South Australia border.
- This GMA is in the Wimmera-Mallee Groundwater Catchment and is part of the Murray Darling Basin.
- The primary rural centre within the boundary is Murrayville.
- The water authority responsible for managing groundwater in the Murrayville GMA is Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water.
- The Murrayville GMA Local Management Plan details six management zones; where it applies to groundwater resources for all formations.
- All groundwater resources along the Victorian-South Australian border are also subject to the Border Groundwaters Agreement.
- More information on groundwater management can be found on the Grampians Wimmera Mallee website.
Groundwater level trends
Table 1: Groundwater level trends, Murrayville GMA
Groundwater restrictions
There were no restrictions on licensed use for the Murrayville GMA in 2021-22.
Entitlements and use
Groundwater entitlements have been issued for licensed (non-urban) use and urban supply to Cowangie and Murrayville in the Murrayville GMA. Groundwater is also available for domestic and stock use.
Entitlement volumes
Table 2: Groundwater entitlements at 30 June, Murrayville GMA
Available water under licence 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 of the in/out trade of water.
Estimated domestic and stock use is calculated based on an assumed usage per registered bore per year. In this GMA, 2 ML usage per bore per year is assumed.
More information on groundwater use and availability has been detailed in the How do we account for section.
Table 3: Groundwater availability and use, Murrayville GMA
Compliance
Compliance against water entitlements is reported for this groundwater management unit (GMU) in two areas:
- entitlement issued: the volume of entitlements issued in the GMU does not exceed relevant PCVs or has not increased without appropriate approvals
- water extracted: the volume of water taken under entitlements during the year does not exceed the total water available to licence holders.
Key points on compliance against entitlements
Entitlement volume did not exceed the PCV
The volume of entitlements (9,755 ML) in the Murrayville GMA did not exceed the PCV (11,005 ML).
Total volume extracted under licences was within the available volume
The total volume extracted under licences (6,101 ML) was within the volume available for the year (12,236 ML).
Table 4: PCV vs total entitlement volumes, Murrayville GMA
Management responsibilities
Management of water in the Murrayville GMA is undertaken by various parties.
| Authority | Management responsibilities |
|---|---|
| GWMWater |
|
| Government of South Australia |
|
