DESPITE the recent rainfall over Easter, water levels at Lake Eildon are expected to continue trending down.
As of April 14, Lake Eildon is currently at 93.96 per cent, however Goulburn–Murray Water Manager of Water Resources Dr Mark Bailey said this was likely to decrease in the coming weeks.
"Historical data shows that water levels at Lake Eildon tend to steadily decline from January through to May due to the hotter, drier weather and customer demand for water," he explained.
"We have already seen levels begin to follow this pattern.
"In December 2022, the storage was at 99.7 per cent capacity, but it has dropped every month since."
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GMW forecasts Lake Eildon's levels using estimated storage releases and different inflow scenarios.
In the event of a wetter inflow scenario, Lake Eildon levels will still fall between now and the end of the 2022/23 irrigation season.
However, a drier inflow scenario currently seems more likely, with the Bureau of Meteorology's current long range forecast predicting below median rainfall from April to June.
Dr Bailey said GMW would continue to monitor levels at Lake Eildon to see if pre–emptive action is required.
"If the anticipated demands do not eventuate and storage levels do not reduce further, GMW will manage the storage levels in accordance with the regulations set out in the Victorian Water Act," he said.
"A key consideration to any releases of water from Lake Eildon is the downstream impacts, particularly as private land is affected before the minor flood levels are reached."
