About the area
The Shepparton Irrigation Region groundwater management area (GMA) falls mostly within the Goulburn-Broken groundwater catchment and partially within the Campaspe groundwater catchment, incorporating the Murray Valley, Shepparton, Central Goulburn and Rochester irrigation areas.
The GMA extends from Echuca in the west to Yarrawonga in the east, with the Murray River as the northern boundary. The southern boundary extends to Murchison.
The water authority responsible for managing groundwater in the Shepparton Irrigation Region GMA is Goulburn-Murray Water.
The Shepparton Irrigation Region GMA Local Management Plan applies to groundwater resources for all formations between the surface and 25 m below the surface.
More information on the GMA can be found on the Goulburn-Murray Water
Groundwater level trends
Table 1: Groundwater level trends, Shepparton Irrigation Region GMA
Response to water availability
Groundwater restrictions
There were no restrictions on licensed use in the Shepparton Irrigation Region 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, Shepparton Irrigation Region 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 2 ML per bore per year.
More information on groundwater use and availability has been detailed in How we account for
Table 3: Available water and take, Shepparton Irrigation Region GMA
Compliance
Compliance against water entitlements is reported for this groundwater management unit in one area:
- 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
There is no permissible consumptive volume (PCV) for the Shepparton Irrigation Region GMA as there is no limit on the total volume of shallow groundwater entitlement available.
Total volume extracted under licences was within the available volume
The total volume extracted under licences (40,332 ML) was within the volume available for the year (185,381 ML).
Table 4: PCV vs total entitlement volumes, Shepparton Irrigation Region GMA
Management responsibilities
Management of water in the Shepparton Irrigation Region GMA is undertaken by Goulburn-Murray Water.
| Authority | Management responsibilities |
|---|---|
| Goulburn-Murray Water |
|
