Reflections: Water for the Environment in Victoria 2024-25

Reflections is the Victorian Environmental Water Holder’s look back at environmental watering over 2024-25.

It reports on where environmental water was used on river reaches, wetlands or floodplains and the outcomes of watering for plants, animals and ecosystem resilience.

Reflections recognises and celebrates the efforts of our program partners - catchment management authorities and Melbourne Water, Traditional Owners, environmental water holders, storage managers, land managers and scientists – together with many organisations and their local communities.

Water levels dropped in 2024-25 after successive wet years. Environmental water managers and program partners adapted to maintain water levels in some areas and moved quickly to support water systems as rivers and wetlands dried out.

Environmental water was used to sustain river flow and protect drought refuges, supporting plants and animals depending on water for survival.

A total of 948,047 megalitres (ML) of water for the environment was delivered by program partners across Victoria in line with priorities published in the Seasonal Watering Plan 2024-25.

This includes

• 175,902 ML made available by the VEWH
• 568,628 ML made available by the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder
• 203,517 ML made available by the Living Murray program.

As something new, we’ve also launched an audio podcast to accompany Reflections, streamlining the experience with AI-generated content. Trialling this innovation lets us share stories in a fresh way for those who like to listen on the go.

Visit Reflections to download your copy or to listen to the podcast.