No water restrictions on the horizon

Wannon Water’s Annual Water Outlook for 2025 confirms there are no water restrictions on the horizon for its customers.

Managing Director Andrew Jeffers said the corporation kept a close eye on its systems to ensure that it can continue to maintain supplies to its 45,000 customers.

Hamilton, Dunkeld, Tarrington and Cavendish are supplied by the Grampians system. This system sources water from streams and bores in the Grampians National Park that provide a high level of water security. The system also includes a pump station that harvests water from Rocklands Reservoir to supply Balmoral and provides an additional back-up supply when needed.

“While the recent dry conditions have impacted stream flows in the Grampians catchment, we’ve been able to supplement the supply by transferring water via the Rocklands pipeline,” Mr Jeffers said.

Casterton, Coleraine, Sandford and Merino have very secure water supplies. The water is sourced from the Bridgewater Formation Aquifer via the Tullich bores, west of Casterton.

“The groundwater licence dictates the amount of water we can extract, with figures showing we only took around 40 per cent of our allocation in 2023/24,” Mr Jeffers said.

Our customers in Glenthompson are supplied separately, with water harvested from two farmland catchments and stored in the Glenthompson Reservoir. This is supplemented through a pipeline from Willaura supplied by Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water.

“We’ve been monitoring the storage levels within the Glenthompson reservoir and have transferred additional water from the town’s railway reservoir when required,” Mr Jeffers said. “This means we should be able to avoid restrictions in the town if the dry conditions continue.”

“While our supplies are secure, we understand that our farmers and rural customers are facing challenges right now,” said Mr Jeffers.

“There’s been unprecedented demand for our metered hydrants this year, with water carters using these around the clock to supply water to rural properties for drinking and other uses. We’ve also been providing temporary access to our pipelines where possible, so that farmers can access raw water to help ease the pressure.”

“We’re here for our customers and community and encourage those needing support to get in touch with our customer support team to chat about how we can help.”

Even though water restrictions aren’t in place, Wannon Water continues to encourage people across the region to be mindful of their water use and make every drop count.