About the area
- West Wimmera Groundwater Management Area (GMA) incorporates the area west of the Wimmera River to the South Australian border, and north to the Big Desert.
- The area is essentially dependent on groundwater for urban and agricultural water supply, the main resource being the Tertiary Limestone Aquifer. This aquifer is the primary supply for domestic and stock, irrigation and town supplies across the area.
- The West Wimmera Groundwater Management Strategy sets out the rules on how the area is to be managed.
- There are six management zones within West Wimmera GMA, some of which also have sub-zones. Management rules can differ slightly within each sub-zone.
- The area that extends 20 km east from the border forms part of the Designated Area for the purposes of the 1985 Border Groundwaters Agreement between Victoria and South Australia.
- Management responsibilities within the Designated Area are shared between GWMWater and the Government of South Australia.
- More information on the GMA can be found on the Grampians Wimmera Mallee website.
Groundwater level trends
Table 1: Groundwater level trends, West Wimmera GMA
Groundwater restrictions
80% restriction in the Neuarpur subzone 1
Licence holders in the Neuarpur subzone 1 — a trading zone in the West Wimmera GMA — were restricted to 80% of their licence volume in 2021-22, the same as the previous year.
Entitlements and use
Groundwater entitlements have been issued for licensed (non-urban) use and urban supply to Apsley, Edenhope, Goroke, Harrow, Kaniva, Kiata, Lillimur, Miram, Nhill and Serviceton in the West Wimmera GMA. Groundwater is also available for domestic and stock use.
Entitlement volumes
Table 2: Groundwater entitlements at 30 June, West Wimmera 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 section.
Table 3: Available water and use, West Wimmera 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 (53,325 ML) in the West Wimmera did not exceed relevant PCVs (57,409 ML).
Total volume extracted under licences was within the available volume
The total volume extracted under licences (22,995 ML) was within the volume available for the year (61,750 ML).
PCV vs total entitlement volumes
Table 4: PCV vs total entitlement volumes, West Wimmera GMA
Management responsibilities
Management of water in the West Wimmera GMA is undertaken by various parties.
| Authority | Management responsibilities |
|---|---|
| GWMWater |
|
| Government of South Australia |
|
