New recycled water storage to supply the Western Irrigation Network
28 February 2022
The Western Irrigation Network (WIN) project has completed an important milestone.
WIN, a major new recycled water supply system for farmers in Melbourne’s west, is currently under construction.
Today we marked the completion of a major part of the project; a new 1.1 gigalitre recycled water storage dam at the Melton Recycled Water Plant - that’s equivalent to 440 Olympic pools!
By next year, the water stored at the dam will irrigate thousands of hectares of farmland, supporting agricultural production in the Parwan-Balliang region.
Greater Western Water Managing Director, Maree Lang, and Chief Executive Advisor, Jeff Rigby, joined our project partners to celebrate the milestone, with water now flowing into the dam for the $116 million project.
Combined with existing storages, the dam will be part of a network capable of supplying 18.3 gigalitres of recycled water each year by 2050. Over 50 kilometres of pipeline will also be constructed throughout the project.
By delivering Class C recycled water to the farming region, WIN will help transform the dryland farms into a thriving agricultural precinct.
The project future-proofs precious water supplies across communities experiencing strong population growth and warmer, drier climate conditions.
Providing farmers access to a reliable, alternative supply of water will also bring wider regional benefits – the local farming community can expand agricultural production, generating more local jobs and growth in Victoria’s agriculture sector.
WIN is jointly funded by Greater Western Water, the private agribusinesses who will become the network’s foundation customers and the Australian Government’s National Water Infrastructure Development Fund.
