How to check a bore's water before you use it, in a place that gets 285.1 mm of rain a year

Why the water comes first

The Commission says the quality of bore water in Victoria varies, from drinking water supplies to water that can only be used for irrigation, gardens, livestock and industry. The Victorian Government's water.vic.gov.au says the groundwater within aquifers varies in quality from fresh drinking water to saltier than seawater.

The Bureau of Meteorology's table for Mildura Airport (readings from 1946) gives a mean annual rainfall of 285.1 mm. We read it on 7 October 2026. It is one airport's record: it does not say what lies under any block, and the Victorian Water Accounts add that almost all surface water used in the Mallee basin is sourced from other basins.

The checks, in order

1. Say what the water is for

   The Commission says the way you can use bore water depends on its quality. Decide whether the bore is for the garden, for stock or for the house, because the answer changes what the test must show.

2. Take a sample and have it tested

   The Commission says it is essential to test bore water to determine if it is appropriate to use. Ask the provider who takes the sample, which tests are run and who reads them. This site states no result and no test method.

3. Keep drinking water on the supply

   The Commission says a reticulated water system supplied by a water authority must be used for human consumption, food preparation, food utensil washing and personal hygiene.

4. Protect the supply from the bore

   The Commission says an appropriate backflow prevention device must be installed to protect the drinking water supply from the bore water. Ask who fits it and who checks it.

5. Look up the aquifer and keep records

   The Victorian Water Register says a report summarising the aquifers and groundwater salinity in any Victorian location can be generated from the Groundwater Resource Reports page on the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action website. The Commission says to keep detailed records of your bore, its construction and performance.

What this does not tell you

None of these pages says what a bore at a particular Mildura address will find, or what it needs before it is built: for that, ask Lower Murray Water. Read each body's current page before you rely on anything here: the lines were read on 7 October 2026.