Surface Water Resources
See also Victoria's Surface Water Resources
 Wimmera River and Darlot Swamp (background) near Jung |
The main surface water resources in the Wimmera region are the Wimmera, Avoca and Richardson Rivers. Their catchment areas are 4 066 kmē, 2 668 kmē and 137 kmē respectively. Streams include Yarriambiack Creek and Dunmunkle Creek. Major lakes with their corresponding areas (per hectare) include:
| Lake Name | Approx. Area (ha) |
| Lake Hindmarsh | 13 500 |
| Lake Buloke | 5 500 |
| Lake Wyn Wyn | 750 |
| Lake Albacutya | 5 300 |
| Mitre Lake | 530 |
 |
Mitre Lake - a hypersaline lake near Mount Arapiles |
Apart from the natural lakes, such as Lake Hindmarsh and Albacutya, which exist in the Wimmera-Avon Rivers Basin, a number of water storages have been developed over the last century. The Wartook Reservoir was constructed in 1887 on the McKenzie River and has a capacity of 29 500 ML. In 1903, Lake Lonsdale was created on Mt William Creek and is capable of holding 65 500 ML. The next storage to be constructed in the region was Fyans Lake in 1916, which has a capacity of 21 000 ML. Lake Bellfield, the largest storage in the Grampians, was constructed in 1966, also on Fyans Creek, which has a capacity of 78 500 ML. East of Horsham lie Pine and Taylor Lakes with capacities of 64 000 ML and 36 000 ML respectively.
Major water storages throughout the region include:
| Storage Site | Capacity (ML) |
| Lake Wartook | 29 500 |
| Toolondo Reservoir | 106 500 |
| Rocklands Reservoir | 348 000 |
| Lake Albacutya | 290 000 |
| Lake Bellfield | 78 500 |
| Pine Lake | 64 000 |
| Lake Lonsdale | 65 500 |
| Lake Fyans | 21 000 |
| Lake Batyo Catyo | 4 800 |
| Taylors Lake | 36 000 |
| Moora Reservoir | 6 300 |
| Green Lake/ Dock Lake | 11 500 |
| The Streams, Lakes and Reservoirs map is generalise and should be used to identify major hydrological features (including water storages) throughout the region. The map was derived from the HYDRO500 and TEMP500 layers of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Corporate Geospatial Data Library. Original data came from Division of Survey and Mapping's VICBASE. This is a 1983 Digital Map of Victoria which was formed using the AUSLIG 1:250000 as its base control. |
The Wimmera-Avon Rivers Basin encompasses the majority of the Wimmera Catchment Management Authority (external link) region. The rivers of the Basin do not discharge into the sea or the Murray River, rather, they enter terminal lake systems. Although the Basin represents 10.3% of Victoria’s area, it contributes only 0.9% of total State discharge (approximately 210 000 ML per year).
| The headwaters of the Wimmera River originate in the ranges of the Mt Buangor State Park in the south-east corner of the Basin. The Pyrenees are also drained by the system and the Wimmera River takes in waters of Wattle and Concongella Creeks before reaching Glenorchy. Further downstream, Yarriambiack Creek flows directly north through the centre of the Basin, past Warracknabeal to Hopetoun. After flowing through Horsham, the Wimmera River collects the waters of Burnt Creek, McKenzie River and Norton Creek from the south. The McKenzie River drains part of the Grampians, which lie at the centre of the Basin’s southern boundary and are characterised by very rocky and rugged escarpments. The Wimmera River swings to the north, just east of Mt. Arapiles and continues through Dimboola and Jeparit to Lake Hindmarsh. Only during exceptionally wet periods does the flow continue north of Lake Hindmarsh to Lake Albacutya and into the Wyperfeld National Park. However, only during exceptionally wet periods does the flow continue north of Lake Hindmarsh to Lake Albacutya. |  McKenzie Falls on the McKenzie River. |
The Avon River system lies in the central-east part of the Wimmera Basin and is independent of the Wimmera system. The Avon River and its major tributary, the Richardson River, drain an area north of Glenorchy in the foothills of the Pyrenees. The main stream channel terminates at Lake Buloke, just north of Donald, although water only reaches the lake occasionally.
The Wimmera Plains slope away from the Grampians, enabling water to flow along channels from the storages. Elevated localities and town storage tanks require water to be pumped from holding reservoirs. The channels are run once a year to water northern areas of the Wimmera catchment region while the Waranga Western Main Channel can be utilised as a supplementary supply.
During a normal year, approximately 87 000 ML are used within the Wimmera-Avon Rivers Basin, 75% from surface water resources within the Basin, 23% from surface water imports and the remaining 2% from the groundwater resource. Water from the Basin’s surface is also exported to those areas in the Mallee, Loddon and Avoca Basins served by the Wimmera-Mallee system. Meanwhile, irrigation use is approximately 28 000 ML per annum, concentrated in reticulated settlements at Horsham and Murtoa. Almost all irrigation is used for pasture, with only small areas used for cropping and horticulture. Only about 8 000-9 000 ML of total water use is urban and industrial and a mere fraction of this is drawn from groundwater.
The most important water quality issues in the Wimmera region are stream salinity and maintenance of aquatic ecosystems. Highly regulated flow regimes below Horsham in the past was often a significant contributing factor to such water quality deterioration.
Source: Department of Water Resources Victoria (1989)
Related Links
A Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia Database can be found on Environment Australia's website (external link). This is a search facility that enables you to find a map and information for a number of important wetland areas (including Lake Albacutya and Lake Hindmarsh).
References
Department of Water Resources Victoria, (1989). Water Victoria: A Resource Handbook. Melbourne, Vic. Govt. Print. Office.
© The State of Victoria, 1996 - 2010.
This document was last reviewed on 08/12/2009