No water restrictions planned for South West Victoria

Wannon Water’s Annual Water Outlook confirms that no water restrictions are planned for the region in 2026.

Managing Director Steven Waterhouse said the outlook provided a summary of water availability and demand across the region. “It also details what actions we’re taking to secure a resilient and reliable water supply.”

The Otway system is the region’s largest water supply system, supplying water to more than 26,000 customers including in Warrnambool, Camperdown, Koroit, Terang and Allansford.

“The system hasn’t been subject to water restrictions since the mandatory statewide restrictions introduced in the early 1980s, and even then, maintained consistent performance. Therefore, there is a very rare (less than one per cent) likelihood of water restrictions over the next 12 months.”

The outlook says the Grampians Water Supply System provides a high level of supply security through its combination of local surface-water sources, groundwater bores and a 52-kilometre-long pipeline that links Rocklands Reservoir to Hamilton to provide additional back-up.

The Grampians system supplies water for Hamilton, Dunkeld, Tarrington, Cavendish and Balmoral.

Mr Waterhouse said despite last year’s very dry summer and below-average winter rainfall, storage levels in the system’s three reservoirs remained strong because of the ability to transfer water from Rocklands.

“It’s the first time we’ve needed to use the pipe since it was commissioned in 2010 after the Millenium Drought. We may use it to supplement local sources again if dry conditions continue this year.”

Mr Waterhouse said modelling across all climate scenarios showed that storage levels remained well above restriction trigger levels throughout the forecast period.

“There is also a very rare possibility that water restrictions will be required for the Grampians system over the next 12 months.”

The nearby Glenthompson system is highly rainfall dependent and recorded another reduction in storage levels over the past 12 months. As a result, storage and outlook data for the town is closely monitored each month, with proactive water-resource planning undertaken throughout the year.

“We’ve worked closely with Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water to secure supplementary flows from the Willaura system, and we connected to the East Grampians Pipeline in October. This has provided an additional supply option from Lake Fyans, further improving system flexibility and resilience,” Mr Waterhouse said.

“We’re now confident we’ll meet the town’s demand for drinking water over summer. It’s also unlikely the town will face water restrictions over the next 12 months.

Wannon Water operates 10 diverse groundwater supply systems that were secure through the Millennium Drought and are expected to remain reliable under a range of future climate scenarios. Water restrictions are not normally part of the management of these systems.

Mr Waterhouse reminded rural customers that a special support package was available to help relieve some of the financial pressure faced due to the drought. It includes a 50 per cent waiver of the rural water usage surcharge, bonus credits, and an extension of the high water usage allowance for eligible customers.

“And even though water restrictions aren’t likely, we continue to encourage people to be mindful of their water use and abide by the Permanent Water Saving Rules which apply across Victoria.”

Learn about our Permanent Water Saving Rules