About the area
The Moe Groundwater Management Area (GMA) covers a layered aquifer with sands, gravel and volcanic rocks, extending along the Moe and Latrobe rivers and into the Moe and Central Gippsland groundwater catchments.
The water authority responsible for managing groundwater in the Moe GMA is Southern Rural Water.
The Moe GMA Local Management Plan applies to groundwater resources for all formations 25 m below the surface.
More information on groundwater management can be found on the Southern Rural website.
Groundwater level trends
In 2023-24, the groundwater level trend for the Moe GMA could not be determined towards the end of the year due to data availability, but it was stable in the prior quarter to December 2023.
Table 1: Groundwater level trends, Moe GMA
Response to water availability
Groundwater restrictions
There were no restrictions on licensed use in the Moe GMA in 2023-24.
Entitlements and use
Groundwater entitlements have been issued for licensed (non-urban) use and urban supply to Yarragon in the Moe GMA. Groundwater is also available for domestic and stock use.
Entitlement volumes
Table 2: Groundwater entitlements at 30 June, Moe GMA
Available water and take
The table below shows the total water available and taken under entitlements, and estimated domestic and stock use in 2023-24. 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, the assumed usage is 1.5 ML usage per bore per year.
More information on groundwater use and availability has been detailed in How we account for
Table 3: Groundwater availability and take, Moe 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 (3,761 ML) in the Moe GMA did not exceed the PCV (8,200 ML).
Total volume extracted under licences was within the available volume
The total volume extracted under licences (225 ML) was within the volume available for the year (3,761 ML).
Table 4: PCV vs total entitlement volumes, Moe GMA
Management responsibilities
Management of water in the Moe GMA is undertaken by Southern Rural Water.
| Authority | Management responsibilities |
|---|---|
| Southern Rural Water |
|
