DEECA

About the area

  • The Upper Goulburn Groundwater Management Area (GMA) is mostly fractured rock basement aquifer, with some alluvial sand and gravel deposits.
  • This GMA extends from Kinglake and Marysville in the south to Seymour in the northwest, and almost to Eildon in the east.
  • The water authority responsible for managing groundwater in the Upper Goulburn GMA is Goulburn-Murray Water.
  • The Upper Goulburn GMA Local Management Plan applies to groundwater resources to a depth of 200 m below the surface.
  • More information on the GMA can be found on the Goulburn-Murray WaterExternal Link website.

Table 1: Groundwater level trends, Upper Goulburn GMA

Groundwater restrictions

There were no restrictions on licensed use for the Upper Goulburn GMA in 2021-22.

Entitlements and use

Groundwater is available for licensed (non-urban) supply and for domestic and stock use.

Entitlement volumes

Table 2: Groundwater entitlements at 30 June, Upper Goulburn GMA

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 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 groundwaterExternal Link section.

Table 3: Groundwater availability and use, Upper Goulburn 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

Volume in catchments did not exceed PCVs

The volume of entitlements (6,110 ML) in the Colongulac GMA did not exceed the PCV (8,568 ML).

Total volume extracted under licences was within the available volume

The total volume extracted under licences (868 ML) was within the volume available for the year (6,119 ML).

Table 4: PCV vs total entitlement volumes, Upper Goulburn GMA

Management responsibilities

Management of water in the Upper Goulburn GMA is undertaken by Goulburn-Murray Water.

AuthorityManagement responsibilities
Goulburn-Murray Water
  • Manages groundwater resources.
  • Developing and implementing groundwater management plans.
  • Issues licences for groundwater use, bore construction, and surface water diversions.
  • Administers domestic and stock use.