The Victorian Government has unveiled a roadmap to ensure the state maintains access to affordable and reliable water supplies into the future.
The Water Security Plan investigates strategies to maintain Victoria’s world class affordable water supply as the population grows and the climate gets drier.
The State Government said that Melbourne and Geelong’s water supplies are currently secure with desalinated water helping to deliver reliable supplies to more than six million people. However, modelling estimates that over the next decade, Victoria will need an extra 95GL of water per year on top of the Victorian Desalination Plant running at full capacity.
In response, the Water Security Plan has been developed to investigate ways to meet future water demand across Greater Melbourne, Geelong and parts of Gippsland.
Victorian Minister for Water, Gayle Tierney, said the State Government is making sure Victoria continues to have a secure and affordable water supply as the state grows and climate gets drier.
“We know large-scale projects can take a decade to plan and deliver. That’s why we’re doing the work now to secure affordable and high-quality water for generations to come,” she said.
The potential solutions being investigated include increasing water efficiency, using more storm and recycled water for non-drinking water, supplementing water storages with purified recycled water, and expansion of desalination capacity.
The investigations into water security will be informed by an expert Water Security Taskforce. The bipartisan Taskforce will bring together water industry expert Dr Jane Doolan, former Ministers for Water Lisa Neville and Peter Walsh, Melbourne Water Managing Director Dr Nerina Di Lorenzo and DEECA Executive Director for Water Security and Resilience Andrew Fennessy.
The Taskforce will review the potential future water supply options and consult with the community before reporting back to government in 2027.
Victoria already has permanent water saving rules in place to help Victorians use water more efficiently and help prevent water restrictions, which regulates the use of hoses, watering gardens and fountains.
Given the current dry conditions across Victoria, a review of the state’s permanent water savings rules will also be undertaken to ensure they are fit for purpose and help preserve drinking water supplies.
The Water Security Plan is available at Water.vic.gov.au
