About the area
The Eildon Groundwater Management Area (GMA) extends from the Victorian Alps to the dam wall at Eildon, comprising the Upper Goulburn River, Big River, Jamieson River, Delatite River, Howqua River, Merton Creek, Brankeet Creek and Ford Creek catchments.
Rural centres within the GMA boundary include Eildon, Mansfield, Jamieson and Howqua.
The water authority responsible for managing groundwater in the Eildon GMA is Goulburn-Murray Water.
The Eildon GMA Local Management Plan applies to groundwater resources to a depth of 200 m below the surface. Domestic and stock bores are typically constructed in the fractured rock aquifer to a depth of less than 100 m below the surface.
More information on the GMA can be found on the Goulburn-Murray website.
Groundwater level trends
Although there are no observation bores currently monitoring groundwater levels in the Eildon GMA, historical records indicate that groundwater levels in both aquifers of this GMA are generally within 5 metres of the ground surface and fluctuate in response to rainfall. Goulburn-Murray Water reported that rainfall in the Eildon GMA in 2022-23 was above average.
Table 1: Groundwater level trends, Eildon GMA
Groundwater restrictions
There were no restrictions on licensed use in the Eildon GMA in 2022-23.
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, Eildon 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 .
Table 3: Groundwater availability and use, Eildon 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
There was an allowed increase in the total entitlement volume from the previous year
The volume of an existing licence was increased by 50 ML - this volume was available within the PCV.
Entitlement volume did not exceed the PCV
The volume of entitlements (695 ML) in the Eildon GMA did not exceed the PCV (1,496 ML).
Total volume extracted under licences was within the available volume
The total volume extracted under licences (189 ML) was within the volume available for the year (695 ML).
Table 4: PCV vs total entitlement volumes, Eildon GMA
Management responsibilities
Management of water in the Eildon GMA is undertaken by Goulburn-Murray Water.
| Authority | Management responsibilities |
|---|---|
| Goulburn-Murray Water |
|
