Dry conditions continue despite some winter rain
While the Coliban region had some welcome rain across winter, local water storage levels remain well below average.
Coliban Water General Manager Water Climate Strategy, Adam Crameri, said the winter rainfall has begun to wet the catchment and we are just now starting to see some inflows to our reservoirs.
“We received 277 millimetres of rain at Malmsbury Reservoir over winter, slightly above the long-term average of around 240 millimetres. But this only resulted in 5.2 gigalitres of inflows, which is less than half of the typical inflow over this period due to the dry conditions we had experienced” Mr Crameri said.
“Our combined storage levels are currently at 41 gigalitres (60%) whereas at the same time last year the storage levels were 53 gigalitres (77%),” Mr Crameri said.
The dry conditions resulted in a 30% opening allocation for the 2025/26 rural season. This is the first time in 15 years the rural season has not opened at 100%. This allocation is reviewed on the 15th of each month. For August the allocation remained unchanged at 30%.
“Allocations may increase if our water resource position improves. But there needs to be significant rainfall and inflows to our reservoirs over an extended period before any changes will be made,” Mr Crameri added.
In December 2024, Coliban Water began using their 18% share of Lake Eppalock, pumping water via the Goldfields Superpipe to supply the Bendigo area. By treating this water to meet the needs of our customers in Bendigo, we can hold more water in our Southern storages to ease the pressure of supply for our southern towns.
The southern storages near Kyneton are the sole source of water supply to the towns of Castlemaine, Harcourt, Taradale, Elphinstone, Fryerstown, Chewton, Campbells Creek, Guildford, Newstead, Maldon, Kyneton, Malmsbury and Tylden.
“There is a strong likelihood of water restrictions in these southern towns by the end of the year if we don’t receive sufficient rainfall or run-off during spring. With most of our drinking water coming from rainfall inflows into storages, our changing climate means we can’t count on our storages filling like they once did.”
Coliban Water is asking residents and businesses to reduce their water use, to help conserve local water supplies.
“Everyone can be water-wise with simple actions at home – such as running washing machines and dishwashers only with full loads and watering gardens in the cooler parts of the day to minimise evaporation.
It’s the everyday water-saving habits, from the backyard to the bathroom, that collectively help conserve water supplies.”
Mr Crameri said there was huge investment already underway in a range of projects that will deliver greater water security for the region.
“We are upgrading the Bendigo Recycled Water Factory and several of our water reclamation plants to boost the production of recycled water, and we’ve commenced a ten-year-plus program of upgrades and renewals of major pipelines, water mains, pump stations, and storages.
“We’re also fast-tracking work on the business case and engaging with the relevant approval agencies to secure funding for Castlemaine Link, an integrated approach to secure long term water security for those southern towns reliant solely on our catchment storages,” he added.
These projects are in addition to the considerable investment made during the millennium drought to provide greater water security to our region.
For more information, contact us on 1300 363 200 or visit www.coliban.com.au
Last updated on 02 Sep 2025