Victoria's Water Resources

This section of the VRO website is a collaborative effort between the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) (external link) and Department of Primary Industries (DPI). Much of the content was developed within the former Department of Natural Resources and Environment. DSE is now the lead agency in Victoria for the management of water resources across the state. Visit the Water section of DSEs website (external link) for up to date information about: Victoria's Water Allocation Framework, River Health, Irrigation, Water in Cities and Towns, Water Saving and Recycling Projects as well as Water Governance Arrangements.

Surface Water Resources
This section describes and maps:

River Basins and Streamflows
Streams, Lakes and Storages
Water Resources in 1944
Catchment Runoff
Streams Flowing during the 1968 Drought
Wetlands

Groundwater Resources
This section describes and maps:

Groundwater Basins
The Groundwater Resource
Aquifer Lithology
Private Groundwater Extraction Bores

More than 4.8 million megalitres of water is used in Victoria each year. 90% is surface water and 10% is groundwater.

Fate of Annual Precipitation

Of the 150 million ML of rain or snow falling on Victoria each year:

84% (126 million ML) evaporates, or is transpired by vegetation to the atmosphere (evapotranspiration)
15% (22.5 million ML ) is discharged as surface runoff and streamflow
1% (1.5 million ML) infiltrates the soil to groundwater aquifers

By contrast, evapotranspiration losses in Europe and North America are typically 60%.

What's a Megalitre?

One megalitre (ML):

is 1 million litres, or 1,000 cubic metres (m³)
covers 1 square kilometre (km²) to a depth of 1 millimetre
is approximately equal to 1 olympic size swimming pool

Related Links

Fate of Annual Precipitation in Victoria

Source: Water Victoria - a Resource Handbook, Dept. Water Resources, Victoria, 1989

The amount of water that runs off the land surface to streams, rivers and lakes, or that infiltrates to groundwater storages, depends on a number of local factors:

rainfall intensity and duration
losses through evaporation and transpiration
type of soil and rock
amount of water already held within the soil and rock (the moisture content)
slope of the ground (landform)
vegetation type and density (biodiversity, land use)

Australia-wide Information

Availability of Water Resources in Australia - information on the Australian Natural Resources Atlas website (external link).