About the area
The Colongulac groundwater management area (GMA) covers a basalt aquifer with some sands to the south of Lake Colongulac, where it partially overlies the South West Limestone GMA.
The water authority responsible for managing groundwater in the Colongulac GMA is Southern Rural Water.
The Colongulac GMA Local Management Plan applies to groundwater resources for all formations up to a depth of 60 m below the surface.
More information on groundwater management can be found on the Southern Rural Water
Groundwater level trends
Table 1: Groundwater level trends, Colongulac GMA
Response to water availability
Groundwater restrictions
There were no restrictions on licensed use in the Colongulac GMA in 2024-25.
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, Colongulac GMA
Available water and take
The table below shows the total water available and taken under entitlements, and estimated domestic and stock use in 2024-25. Total water available under entitlements is calculated as the sum of: opening carryover from the prior year (where available), allocation issued during the reporting year, and the net trade in or out of water, across all entitlements. The level of allocation issued is reduced if there are any restrictions in place.
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 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, Colongulac 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 in 2024-25
Entitlement volume did not exceed the PCV
The volume of entitlements (4,400 ML) in the Colongulac GMA did not exceed the PCV (4,695 ML).
Total volume extracted under licences was within the available volume
The total volume extracted under licences (1,365 ML) was within the volume available for the year (4,400 ML).
Table 4: PCV vs total entitlement volumes, Colongulac GMA
Management responsibilities
Management of water in the Colongulac GMA is undertaken by Southern Rural Water.
| Authority | Management responsibilities |
|---|---|
| Southern Rural Water |
|
