The Allan Labor Government is making sure Victoria remains one of the best places to live and raise a family, and that means maintaining access to affordable and reliable water supplies into the future.
Minister for Water Gayle Tierney today released the Water Security Plan which investigates how to maintain Victoria's world class affordable water supply as our population grows and climate gets drier.
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 95 billion litres of water per year on top of the Victorian Desalination Plant running at full capacity.
That's why the Water Security Plan investigates ways to meet future water demand across Greater Melbourne, Geelong and parts of Gippsland.
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 Victoria'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(opens in a new window).
As stated by Minister for Water Gayle Tierney
"We're making sure Victoria continues to have a secure and affordable water supply as our 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."
