Bureau Home » Water Information » National Water Account » 2025 Account » Melbourne » Water Accounting Statements » Water assets and water liabilities

Melbourne: Statement of Water Assets and Water Liabilities

For the water account period 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025

  • In the Melbourne region, net water assets decreased by 14% during 2024–25 in response to a decrease in accessible storages.
  • Water availability is represented by the net water assets, which are the volume of water assets minus the water liabilities.

Schematic representation of the total volume of water assets and water liabilities in the Melbourne region, as well as the closing net water assets at the end of the current reporting period.

The Statement of Water Assets and Water Liabilities provides a detailed breakdown of the volume of water assets and water liabilities in the Melbourne region over the past six water accounting periods ending 30 June, as well as changes in net water assets between the start (1 July) and end (30 June) of each reporting period.

To view the Statement of Water Assets and Water Liabilities, scroll down to the table below.

Expand all Collapse all
 

Select comparative year

 
 2025 (ML)2024 (ML)2023 (ML)2022 (ML)2021 (ML)2020 (ML)
Water assets
Surface water 1,720,2402,017,1342,127,9562,020,9901,797,8761,643,737
Accessible storage1,344,4651,641,3721,743,7831,642,5991,417,4221,197,978
Dead storage76,62376,62376,62376,62376,62376,623
Rivers4,2364,22312,6347,0009,8866,328
Inter-region claims294,916294,916294,916294,768293,945362,808
 
Groundwater 38,63238,63238,63238,63238,63838,638
Water table aquifers22,06722,06722,06722,06722,07322,073
Underlying aquifers16,56516,56516,56516,56516,56516,565
 
Urban water system 28,77628,77628,77628,77628,90628,613
Urban waste system storages28,77628,77628,77628,77628,90628,613
 
Total water assets1,787,6482,084,5422,195,3642,088,3981,865,4201,710,988
Water liabilities
Surface water liability0000011,229
Surface water allocation remaining: individual users0000011,229
Surface water commitments: inter-region000000
 
Groundwater liability000000
Groundwater allocation remaining: individual users000000
 
Total water liabilities0000011,229
Net water assets
Net surface water assets1,720,2402,017,1342,127,9562,020,9901,797,8761,632,508
Opening net surface water assets2,017,1342,127,9562,020,9901,797,8761,632,5081,425,372
Change in net surface water assets(296,894)(110,822)106,966223,114165,368207,136
Closing net surface water assets1,720,2402,017,1342,127,9562,020,9901,797,8761,632,508
 
Net groundwater assets38,63238,63238,63238,63238,63838,638
Opening net groundwater assets38,63238,63238,63238,63838,63838,619
Change in net groundwater assets000(6)019
Closing net groundwater assets38,63238,63238,63238,63238,63838,638
 
Net urban water assets28,77628,77628,77628,77628,90628,613
Opening net urban water assets28,77628,77628,77628,90628,61328,809
Change in net urban water assets000(130)293(196)
Closing net urban water assets28,77628,77628,77628,77628,90628,613
Total closing net water assets1,787,6482,084,5422,195,3642,088,3981,865,4201,699,759
Total change in net water assets(296,894)(110,822)106,966222,978165,661206,959

Note: quantification approaches used to derive each item volume are provided in the Methods