The Australian Government has committed $19.3 million through the National Water Grid Fund towards a package of 5 projects in Victoria. The total estimated cost of the package is $40.6 million, with the Victorian Government and partners contributing $21.3 million.
The Lower Gellibrand River Estuary, which flows out to the Bass Straight. The Gellibrand river is under ecological stress during summer flow periods, partly due to extraction for urban water supply. Image credit: Wannon Water.
Project overview
The Water Infrastructure for Sustainable and Efficient Regions (WISER) initiative will deliver water security outcomes across the Surf Coast, Indigo Shire, Bass Coast, East Gippsland, and Warrnambool regions of Victoria.
The package includes innovative solutions such as a nature-based wetland to clean recycled water for productive use, while providing habitat for local species (King Road Recycled Water Wetlands Storage).
It is expected that collectively these projects will:
- make available at least 825 megalitres of recycled water per year for productive and community use, including agriculture and irrigation of public open spaces
- reduce reliance on climate-vulnerable water sources including the Gellibrand River
- protect the ecologically and culturally significant Karaaf coastal saltmarsh
- incorporate circular economy principles through water recycling and reusing construction materials such as concrete.
Victorian projects under the WISER Initiative include:
- Growing the Surf Coast Hinterland and Protecting the Karaaf
- Redirecting urban stormwater for productive use. This will make up to 400 megalitres per year of recycled water available for productive use in the Surf Coast Hinterland. It will also divert stormwater runoff away from the highly significant Karaaf coastal saltmarsh, allowing the ecosystem to return to more natural cycles.
- Rutherglen Reuse Scheme Expansion
- Upgrading the Rutherglen wastewater treatment plant, in north-eastern Victoria, and expanding winter storage. This will improve the quality and availability of recycled water for a broader range of irrigation uses in the region and generate capacity within the urban water supply for Rutherglen and Wahgunyah. It will also address potential environmental impacts of recycled water discharge into the Murray River during extreme weather events.
- King Road Recycled Water Wetlands Storage
- Constructing a nature-based recycled water storage system in the Bass Coast region of Victoria through a series of wetlands. This will provide additional storage capacity and increase the availability of recycled water for productive use. It will also achieve strong environmental outcomes, providing habitat for vulnerable and other species reliant on a wetland ecosystem.
- Water Security for Buchan
- Replacing ageing tanks that supply the township of Buchan in the East Gippsland region of Victoria. This will increase water reliability, water security and supply capacity for the residents of Buchan, while reducing water losses and water quality risks.
- Gellibrand River Restoration and Supply Resilience
- Upgrading an existing bore, constructing a second bore and installing raw water storage covers. This will provide up to 10 megalitres per day of groundwater in summer to supplement water supply from the Gellibrand River during low flow periods, delivering meaningful outcomes for this regionally significant river and ensuring climate resilient water supplies for local communities and industry.