Victorian Resources Online - West Gippsland

Water

Photo: West Gippsland Water Montage

Water Resource Management
West Gippsland's Water Resources
Access to Water
Stream Condition & Water Quality

The West Gippsland Catchment Management region largely encompasses the Latrobe, Thomson and South Gippsland Basins. An area to the north-east forms part of the northern section of the Mitchell River Basin, an area to the north falls within the Goulburn River Basin and an area to the west lies within the Bunyip River Basin. Many of the major river systems within the region flow into the Gippsland Lakes and wetland areas surrounding Lake Wellington. Much of the water resource lies below the ground - there are a number of major aquifers within the West Gippsland region, which provide an alternative water source from surface storage. Reduced water quality is rated as the most important issue in West Gippsland due to stream flows, suspended sediments, dissolved nutrients, biological change and the occurrence of toxic blue-green algal blooms.

Thomson Basin

The Thomson, Macalister and Avon are the major rivers in the Thomson Basin, draining to the west, central and eastern zones respectively as they flow south towards the Latrobe River and Lake Wellington. There are two main storages in the Thomson Basin - Lake Glenmaggie situated on the Macalister River north of Heyfield, and the Thomson Reservoir on the north-west of the basin in the upper reaches of the Thomson River. Throughout the Thomson River Basin, water quality is generally good, although elevated nutrient levels occur in some areas. Throughout the whole of the basin, salinity is low with slightly elevated levels in irrigation areas. High turbidity has been recorded occasionally downstream of the Thompson Dam and in the lower reaches of the Macalister River. The aquifer system is shallow within a large proportion of the basin and provides a relatively small proportion of water for irrigation compared to the volumes extracted from surface water. Groundwater quality is generally very good.

Latrobe Basin

A series of streams flow south from the Great Divide and north from the Strzelecki Ranges to the Latrobe River which rises in the north-west and flows south-easterly to Moe, then easterly across the Gippsland Plains to Lake Wellington. Major tributaries of the Latrobe River are Toorongo, Tanjil and Tyres Rivers from the northern highlands, the Moe River from the west, and the Morwell River and Traralgon Creek from the Strzelecki Ranges in the south. Major storages in the basin are Blue Rock Lake, Moondarra Reservoir, Yallourn Storage and Hazelwood Pondage. Water quality is generally poor in the major streams of the basin particularly in the central zone of the La Trobe River, which is subject to discharge and pollution from urban, mining and industrial activities. Many streams in the central zone have been found to have poor bank vegetation cover, bank instability and sediment build up. The La Trobe River Basin comprises deep and shallow aquifers. An extensive program of groundwater pumping has taken place at Morwell to de-water the mining area. In drought years groundwater has provided a valuable supplement to power station requirements. Groundwater extraction has caused a major decrease in the Latrobe River Basin aquifer levels.

South Gippsland Basin

3D model of the Latrobe River catchment
with a satellite image draped on top.

The South Gippsland Basin includes more than ten major rivers and streams draining the coastal side of the South Gippsland uplands. There are two significant storages for domestic water supply. These include the Candowie Reservoir situated on Tennent Creek and the Lance Creek Reservoir situated on a tributary of the Powlett River. Water quality within the South Gippsland Basin is significantly compromised due to elevated nutrient levels from intensive agricultural activity. From mid 1994 to mid 1995 a number of algal blooms were recorded. The South Gippsland Basin comprises shallow and deep aquifers. A deep aquifer exists in the east of the basin known as the Latrobe Group aquifer. The quality of the basin’s groundwater is generally fresh to marginal with the exception of an area in the north-west of the basin and just north of Welshpool which yields marginal to brackish quality. Water is extracted from both groundwater and surface water sources for irrigation, urban and industrial use.

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 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.

Information on Water in West Gippsland on the West Gippsland CMA website (external link). Includes information on Rivers, Wetlands and Groundwater.

Water information on Statewide VRO website.