About the area
The Lower Ovens Groundwater Management Area (GMA) covers the Ovens catchment downstream of Myrtleford. This includes the upper reaches of the King and Buffalo Rivers and extends north along the floodplain toward the Murray River.
Rural centres within the GMA boundary include Moyhu, Beechworth, Wangaratta and Yarrawonga.
The water authority responsible for managing groundwater in the Lower Ovens GMA is Goulburn-Murray Water.
The Lower Ovens GMA Local Management Plan applies to all major aquifers in this region, at all depths. This includes the Calivil Formation (Deep Lead), the Shepparton Formation, the Laceby Gravels, the overlying Coonambidigal Formation and the fractured bedrock aquifer.
The Lower Ovens GMA includes 4 management zones; the Mid Ovens Zone, the Ovens Plain Zone, the Murray Zone and the Bedrock Zone.
More information on the GMA can be found on the Goulburn-Murray website.
Groundwater level trends
Table 1: Groundwater level trends, Lower Ovens GMA
Groundwater restrictions
There were no restrictions on licensed use in the Lower Ovens GMA in 2022-23.
Entitlements and use
Groundwater entitlements have been issued for licensed (non-urban) use, and urban supply to Springhurst and Wangaratta in the Lower Ovens GMA. Groundwater is also available for domestic and stock use.
Entitlement volumes
Table 2: Groundwater entitlements at 30 June, Lower Ovens 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, Lower Ovens 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 (19,875 ML) in the Lower Ovens GMA did not exceed the PCV (25,200 ML).
Total volume extracted under licences was within the available volume
The total volume extracted under licences (3,465 ML) was within the volume available for the year (19,875 ML).
Table 4: PCV vs total entitlement volumes, Lower Ovens GMA
Management responsibilities
Management of water in the Lower Ovens GMA is undertaken by Goulburn-Murray Water.
| Authority | Management responsibilities |
|---|---|
| Goulburn-Murray Water |
|
