GWMWater has taken another step towards delivering more reliable and higher quality water to its rural customers – with tenders now open for submissions.
Following a successful pilot at Ouyen in 2024, GWMWater is now rolling out its $13.56 million Clean Water for North-West Rural Communities Project at Nyah and Piangil in the north of the state and at the Waranga Channel in central Victoria.
The project will deliver new treatment plants and pump stations to enhance the quality and reliability of rural water that is sourced from the Murray River and the Waranga Channel.
Once operational, the facilities will treat 1.8GL of water annually, supporting more than 750 farming enterprises as well as urban customers south and west of Swan Hill.
Tenders are currently being received for construction at Nyah, while upgrades at the Waranga Channel and Piangil are scheduled to be completed over the next two years.
GWMWater Managing Director, Mark Williams, said rural customers in the area serviced by the Piangil and Nyah Murray River offtakes can look forward to the same improved water quality as experienced in rural areas around Ouyen that were part of the project’s first stage.
Likewise, in central Victoria, the plant to be constructed on the Waranga channel offtake will supply clean water into the South West Loddon Pipeline area, an extension of the Wimmera Mallee Pipeline that is bounded by Inglewood and Bridgewater at the northern end and Laanecoorie in the south. Since completing the South West Loddon Project, these customers have been receiving water that has been sourced from Lake Bellfield.
“GWMWater will build new infrastructure at the three raw-water extraction sites, including treatment facilities, pump systems, chemical dosing systems, and solar and battery storage systems to sustainably power the sites,” Mr Williams said.
“A key feature of the treatment process is the dissolved air flotation plant, which removes all the particulate from the water—significantly enhancing its quality.”
Mr Williams said that the rural communities would not only receive water that has greater clarity but would also reduce supply interruptions from blue-green algae and black water events. These events are becoming more prevalent on the Murray River and the Goulburn River via the Waranga Western Channel.
“The new infrastructure aims to reduce these risks, ensuring a more consistent water quality for our rural customers,” Mr Williams said.
“The improved water quality will also improve the operational performance of the network with existing Murray River supplies frequently clogging meters. Improving system reliability is a win for towns and communities – and a win for farmers.”
The project is jointly funded by the Federal Government via the National Water Grid fund ($5 million) and GWMWater ($8.56 million).
