About the area
The Upper Goulburn groundwater management area (GMA) is a mostly fractured rock basement aquifer, with some alluvial sand and gravel deposits.
This GMA extends from Kinglake and Marysville in the south to Seymour in the northwest, and almost to Eildon in the east.
The water authority responsible for managing groundwater in the Upper Goulburn GMA is Goulburn-Murray Water.
The Upper Goulburn GMA Local Management Plan applies to groundwater resources to a depth of 200 m below the surface.
More information on the GMA can be found on the Goulburn-Murray Water
Groundwater level trends
In 2024-25, a groundwater level trend for the Upper Goulburn GMA could not be determined towards the end of the year due to data availability, but it was declining in the prior September 2024 quarter.
Table 1: Groundwater level trends, Upper Goulburn GMA
Response to water availability
Groundwater restrictions
There were no restrictions on licensed use in the Upper Goulburn 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, Upper Goulburn 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: Groundwater availability and take, Upper Goulburn 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 (6,093 ML) in the Upper Goulburn GMA did not exceed the PCV (8,568 ML).
Total volume extracted under licences was within the available volume
The total volume extracted under licences (904 ML) was within the volume available for the year (6,112 ML).
Table 4: PCV vs total entitlement volumes, Upper Goulburn GMA
Management responsibilities
Management of water in the Upper Goulburn GMA is undertaken by Goulburn-Murray Water.
| Authority | Management responsibilities |
|---|---|
| Goulburn-Murray Water |
|
