Senator the Hon Murray Watt, Minister for the Environment and Water
The Hon Michaela Settle, Victorian Minister for Water
The Albanese and Carroll Labor Governments are ensuring farmers west of Melbourne can now access a reliable, year-round water supply to support their farms.
The first stage of the $116 million Western Irrigation Network is complete - strengthening water security for local farms so they don't entirely depend on rainfall.
Greater Western Water (GWW) delivered the network, which will supply around 2.4 billion litres of recycled water to farms in Parwan-Balliang in its first year, helping irrigate around 1,500 hectares of farmland.
The network includes more than 28 kilometres of pipeline, connecting the Melton Recycled Water Plant to the farms near Bacchus Marsh.
The project constructed a pipeline under the Werribee River, three transfer pumping stations, and a one billion litre winter storage dam.
With the taps now on, the first farms are already seeing the benefits of a reliable alternative water source, helping farmers grow crops to support livestock recently impacted by drought across Victoria.
In future, the project could deliver up to 18 billion litres of recycled water a year to even more of the region as more farms come on board for additional stages of the project.
The project is jointly funded by the Australian Government, through the National Water Grid Fund, the Victorian Government and the private agribusinesses who are the network's foundation customers.
We're supporting farmers with reliable water supplies to help them manage dry conditions, strengthen their farms, and prepare for the future.
Quotes attributable to the Federal Minister for the Environment and Water, Murray Watt:
"Regions not connected to Victoria's water grid are more vulnerable to dry conditions, relying on local rainfall-dependent water sources - such as small reservoirs, bore water and rivers.
"Through State and Federal partnerships like this, we're delivering this important investment, strengthening water security, backing regional agriculture and supporting local communities for years to come."
Quotes attributable to the Victorian Minister for Water, Michaela Settle:
"We're delivering water infrastructure to improve water resilience for farmers in a drying climate, unlocking opportunity in our regional communities and economies.
"Increasing the use of recycled water puts more water to productive use while protecting our precious drinking water supplies for where they're needed most."
Quotes attributable to Federal Member for Hawke, Sam Rae:
"By connecting the Parwan-Balliang agricultural region to recycled water, the WIN project has the ability to transform this dryland farming area into a thriving agricultural region, independent of rainfall.
"It's great to see the first stage of this project in action and already making a difference locally."
