Melbourne: Key findings

For the water account period 1 July 2020–30 June 2021

  • Total annual rainfall was above average for the second consecutive year.
  • End-of-year storage was 75% full compared to 66% full the previous year.
  • Water taken for consumptive water use was 481 GL, around 3% less than last year.

Climate and water

Rainfall

Rainfall icon

867 mm

above the average of 861 mm

Streamflow

Streamflow icon

above average

for most of the year

Storage

Storage icon

75% full

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17% more than last year

Water use

Water sourced

Graph showing breakdown of water sources used in the Melbourne region. A total of 481 GL of water was used in the region in 2020–21. Surface water made up 70% of total water sourced. Desalinated water made up 26% and groundwater 4% of the water sourced.

Water supplied

Graph showing breakdown of water users in the Melbourne region. A total of 481 GL of water was supplied to users in 2020–21. Less than 92% of total water supply was for the urban system. 8% was for individual users and less than1% was for inter-region supply.

Water status

Allocations

950 GL

total surface water and groundwater allocations

Water availability

2,697 GL

surface water available in 2020–21

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9% more than average

Outlook

Increase

in storage expected during the 2021–22 year