Water Outlook

See Melbourne’s water outlook for the year ahead: a summary of the state of our water availability and demand, and what this means for Melbourne – including actions the water industry is taking to secure our water supplies.

The outlook is based on storage levels in Melbourne’s water supply system as of late November each year, taking into account factors like rainfall, water orders from the Victorian Desalination Plant, and water conservation behaviours.

Melbourne’s water outlook at a glance

Melbourne's Water Outlook for 2022:
Melbourne’s water storage levels are the highest they’ve been for more than 20 years and they’re forecast to remain secure for the next 12 months with help from the Victorian Desalination Plant, according to Melbourne’s Water Outlook 2022.

At a glance:

The city’s water storages are 90.0% full.
Current water storage levels (90.0%) are 14.6% or 263.3 billion litres higher than the same time last year.
Without additional water from the desalination plant topping up supplies each year, Melbourne’s water storages would currently be around 68%.
Water storage levels are the highest they’ve been for more than 20 years thanks to the contribution of the Desalination Plant
As Melbourne continues to grow so too does water demand.
This boost to the water storage is good news given the rise in extreme weather events like bushfires, severe storms and the increased likelihood of extended dry conditions and drought
The water storage increase was welcome given the change in Melbourne’s water use, which saw an increase in residential, and a drop in non-residential consumption.