About the area
The Moe groundwater catchment is in central Gippsland, east of Melbourne.
The Moe groundwater catchment contains the Moe groundwater management area (GMA). The geographical area within the catchment containing licensed entitlement that is not covered by the Moe GMA is reported as outside management units.
The Moe GMA straddles this catchment and the Central Gippsland groundwater catchment.
Groundwater resources within the catchment supply licensed entitlements, domestic and stock use, and urban use to Yarragon. Whilst most groundwater licensed in the Moe groundwater catchment is used for irrigation, some is used for dairy-wash purposes.
More information on water management and accounting is detailed in Water explained.
2024-25 overview
Water use
More water was used for consumptive purposes than the previous year.
Climate
Rainfall
Less rainfall was received in the Moe groundwater catchment in 2024-25 than the previous year, ranging from close to the long-term average to the lowest recorded in the reference period (1975 to 2025) across the catchment. Rainfall was:
- average in the catchment’s far north-east around Baw Baw Village
- below average in a band spanning most of the catchment’s north-east
- very much below average across most remaining regions of the catchment
- the lowest recorded in the reference period (1975 to 2025) along part of the catchment’s southern boundary.
Figure 1 displays the rainfall received in 2024-25 compared to the long-term average (1975-2025).
Figure 1: Rainfall deciles, Moe groundwater catchment
Sourced from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology
Groundwater level trends
In the Accounts, groundwater level trends for groundwater management units (GMUs) have been determined by monitoring data from key bores in the State Observation Bore Network. Trend determinations are made quarterly by comparing each reading to a previous reading in the same season 5 years prior; for example, a summer record is compared to the summer record from 5 years earlier to account for seasonality. These trends are shown in Table 1 below.
Groundwater level trends reporting in the Accounts does not necessarily represent the status of the resource for management purposes. Groundwater resources are actively managed by rural water corporations. For more detail on management responses, go to Groundwater on the Southern Rural Water
In 2024-25, the groundwater level trend for the Moe GMA was stable towards the end of the year.
Table 1: Groundwater level trends, Moe groundwater catchment
Response to water availability
Groundwater restrictions
There were no restrictions on licensed groundwater use in 2024-25, the same as previous year.
Entitlements and use
Groundwater licence and use volumes in the Moe groundwater catchment are shown below. Domestic and stock use does not require a licence, so in the Groundwater availability and take table (Table 3), these rows only report water taken.
The licensed volume used under entitlements must not exceed the volume made available to individual licensed entitlement holders. We report on compliance in the GMU local reports and in the Statewide groundwater summary.
Water used
Use in the Moe Groundwater catchment was 1,023 ML, more than the 888 ML used in the previous year.
Entitlement volumes
Rights to water in the Moe groundwater catchment are shown below.
Table 2: Groundwater entitlements at 30 June, Moe groundwater catchment
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 catchment, 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
In 2024-25, 1,023 ML of water was extracted for consumptive purposes, which was more than the 888 ML extracted in the previous year. Of this volume, 829 ML was for non-urban (irrigation) use, and 194 ML was estimated to be for domestic and stock use.
Table 3: Groundwater availability and take, Moe groundwater catchment
Management responsibilities
Management of water in the Moe groundwater catchment is undertaken by Southern Rural Water.
| Authority | Management responsibilities |
|---|---|
| Southern Rural Water |
|
