Victorian Resources Online - North Central

Water

North Central's Water Resources | Water Resource Management | Access to Water

The North Central catchment is comprised of four sub-catchments, including the Avon-Richardson, Avoca, Campaspe and Loddon. The Campaspe and Loddon empty into the Murray River, while the Avon-Richardson terminates at Lake Buloke and the Avoca discharges into the northern swamps (NCCALPB, 1997).

Lakes include L. Buloke, which is situated just north of Donald in the regions far west; L. Eppalock between Bendigo and Heathcote; L. Boort, L. Meran, L. Charon, L. Charm, L. Lalbert and L. Boga - all in the north. Reservoirs in the region include the Upper Coliban, Lauriston, Cairn Curran, Tullaroop and Laanecoorie, all of which are situated in the lower catchment area.

Groundwater in the North Central catchment is extensively utilised for stock and irrigation purposes and, increasingly, for town water supplies. It has been intensively investigated, particularly in terms of its role in land and water salinity. Dependable groundwater supplies for stock and domestic bores are available at depths less than fifty metres in some areas of the North Central region. A bore yield of at least 0.5 litres per second is usually needed for home use, but higher yields are more desirable.

Related Links

In June 2004 the Victorian State Government announced the biggest program of water sector reform and water pricing in the State's history. Our Water Our Future (external link) is an 'action plan' to enable smarter water use and management across the State. It sets out 110 new initiatives for water conservation aimed at every sector of the community. It examines household use, industrial and agricultural use, recreation and tourism, environmental impacts, pricing, population increases and climate change to ensure there is plenty of water to sustain growth over the next 50 years.

A wide range of Victorian Resources data (external link) can be accessed via MapShare (external link) in the form of an interactive map, using information from DSE. This information includes active water quantity sites, active water quality sites, active Waterwatch sites, Index of Stream Condition sites, active EPA sites, and groundwater bores.

The Victorian Water Resources Data Warehouse (external link) is dedicated to disseminating up-to-date information on Victoria's water resources. The site gives access to both raw and summary data on both water quality and quantity throughout Victoria, and is a central repository for published documents produced from this data.

Water information on Statewide VRO website.

Current Status of Water Resources in North Central