DEECA

About the area

The Barnawartha Groundwater Management Area (GMA) is a small groundwater management area in the lower reaches of the Indigo Creek catchment.

The major rural township within the boundary is Barnawartha.

The water authority responsible for managing groundwater in the Barnawartha GMA is Goulburn-Murray Water.

More information on the GMA can be found on the Goulburn-Murray WaterExternal Link website.

Table 1: Groundwater level trends, Barnawartha GMA

Groundwater restrictions

There were no restrictions on licensed use for the Barnawartha GMA in 2022-23.

Entitlements and use

Groundwater entitlements have been issued for licensed (non-urban) use and urban supply to Barnawartha in the Barnawartha GMA. Groundwater is also available for domestic and stock use.

Entitlement volumes

Table 2: Groundwater entitlements at 30 June, Barnawartha GMA

Available water and use

The table below shows the total water available and used under entitlements, and estimated domestic and stock use in 2022-23. 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 GMA, 2 ML usage per bore per year is assumed.

More information on groundwater use and availability has been detailed in How we account for groundwaterExternal Link .

Table 3: Groundwater availability and use, Barnawartha GMA

Compliance

Compliance against water entitlements is reported for this groundwater management unit (GMU) in 2 areas:

  • entitlement issued: that the volume of entitlements issued in the GMU does not exceed relevant permissible consumptive volumes (PCVs) or has not increased without appropriate approvals
  • water extracted: that 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 (375 ML) in the Barnawartha GMA did not exceed the PCV (2,100 ML).

Total volume extracted under licences was within the available volume

The total volume extracted under licences (4 ML) was within the volume available for the year (375 ML).

Table 4: PCV vs total entitlement volumes, Barnawartha GMA

Management responsibilities

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

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