Anglesea borefield
As a result of a very dry and hot start to the year and below-average rainfall for six of the past nine months, Barwon Water has made the decision to call on the Anglesea borefield to supplement water supplies for customers from early November.
Groundwater from the borefield can supply Anglesea, Aireys Inlet, Torquay, the Bellarine Peninsula, and parts of southern Geelong.
Our access to groundwater from the Anglesea borefield is governed by a bulk entitlement, issued by the Victorian Government. Under the terms of the bulk entitlement, we are licensed to extract a maximum of 40 million litres per day, 10,000 million litres in any year, and 35,000 million litres in any 5-year period.
We will operate the borefield below these limits to ensure groundwater levels remain above the triggers that have been set to protect groundwater dependent ecosystems. This means we will take up to 13 million litres per day, or 5,000 million litres a year (5 GL per year).
The Anglesea borefield is one of a number of critical backup water sources that can supplement the existing supply system in response to dry conditions. Accessing backup sources is part of a balanced approach to managing the region’s water resources and providing greater water security.
The Anglesea borefield will operate in conjunction with an extensive environmental monitoring program, which includes community oversight through the Anglesea River Working Group.
Extraction rates
| Date | Daily volume extracted (ML) | Daily Limit** (ML) | Total volume extracted – year to date (ML) | Yearly limit*** (ML) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre 1/11/2019* | 21.8 | |||
| 1/11/19 | 1.1 | 40 | 22.9 | 10,000 |
| 2/11/19 | 0.0 | 40 | 22.9 | 10,000 |
| 3/11/19 | 3.4 | 40 | 26.3 | 10,000 |
| 4/11/19 | 7.8 | 40 | 34.1 | 10,000 |
| 5/11/19 | 8.5 | 40 | 42.6 | 10,000 |
| 6/11/19 | 8.2 | 40 | 50.8 | 10,000 |
| 7/11/19 | 8.0 | 40 | 58.8 | 10,000 |
| 8/11/19 | 8.3 | 40 | 67.1 | 10,000 |
| 9/11/19 | 8.8 | 40 | 75.9 | 10,000 |
| 10/11/19 | 8.6 | 40 | 84.4 | 10,000 |
| 11/11/19 | 7.2 | 40 | 91.6 | 10,000 |
| 12/11/19 | 4.8 | 40 | 96.5 | 10,000 |
| 13/11/19 | 5.3 | 40 | 101.8 | 10,000 |
| 14/11/19 | 5.4 | 40 | 107.2 | 10,000 |
| 15/11/19 | 7.6 | 40 | 114.8 | 10,000 |
| 16/11/19 | 8.6 | 40 | 123.4 | 10,000 |
| 17/11/19 | 8.5 | 40 | 131.8 | 10,000 |
| 18/11/19 | 8.3 | 40 | 140.2 | 10,000 |
(Table updated weekly - last updated 19/11/2019)
*Between 17 August and 31 October 2019, a total of 21.75 ML of groundwater was extracted as part of the re-commissioning process of the Anglesea borefield.
**The Bulk Entitlement restricts the volume that can be extracted in any given day to a maximum of 40ML.
***The Bulk Entitlement also restricts the total volume that can be extracted in any given year to an annual limit of 10,000ML. It also restricts the total volume that can be extracted over a five year period to 35,000ML.
More information
You can read more about the role the borefield plays in our region’s water security, and how it will be managed to highest environmental standards, in the Document Library section of this page.
Please feel free to ask us any questions via the online Q&A tool below.
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Groundwater level monitoring and triggers
As part of our comprehensive monitoring and assessment program, we have 42 observation bores that monitor groundwater levels across the Anglesea catchment. These observation bores are located at different depths to monitor groundwater levels in different geological formations – in the Perched Water Table (PWT), Upper Eastern View Formation (UEVF) and Lower Eastern View Formation (LEVF).View the Anglesea borefield cross section to see the different formations.Groundwater levels are continuously monitored to ensure that operation of the Anglesea borefield does not cause significant drawdown, particularly in the Anglesea Swamp. If groundwater levels remain within the likely range of natural... Continue reading -
Aquatic ecology monitoring
We undertake aquatic ecology monitoring to gather baseline data to better understand the health of groundwater dependent ecosystems and ensure operation of the Anglesea borefield does not have a detrimental impact on these areas.
Learn more
- Information poster on aquatic ecology monitoring
- Read the Aquatic Ecology Monitoring Report 2018
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Terrestrial ecology monitoring: Vegetation and frogs
Terrestrial ecology monitoring consists of vegetation and frog surveys. We capture information over time to develop a baseline data set, which is used to assess changes over time and identify if pumping from the Anglesea borefield is contributing to these changes.
Learn more
