Reducing the environmental impact and securing water supply on Gellibrand River

Wannon Water has announced a major upgrade to its Otway water supply system to increase future water security and reduce environmental impacts on the Gellibrand River.

The $10 million Gellibrand River Restoration and Supply Resilience project is jointly funded by the Australian Government, through the National Water Grid Fund’s Water Infrastructure for Sustainable and Efficient Regions initiative, and Wannon Water.

Managing Director Andrew Jeffers said the project will help ensure a climate-resilient water supply for the local community and industry and increase the environmental sustainability of the river.

Three main projects are planned over the next few years, including converting the Curdievale emergency deep groundwater bore to a production bore, and constructing a secondary emergency bore. This will provide up to 10 megalitres of groundwater per day to supplement the existing supply during high demand periods, reducing pressure on the Gellibrand River. 

Measures will also be undertaken at the Dales Road raw water storage in Warrnambool to protect against the increased risk of algae blooms due to the addition of groundwater in the water supply.

The Otway system is the largest and most complex of Wannon Water’s systems, supplying water to more than 26,000 customers. 

It sources water from rivers and streams in the Otway Ranges, with multiple balancing storages that increase the security of supply. It’s also supplemented through the Warrnambool Roof Water Harvesting System and several groundwater bores.

“As planned in our Urban Water Strategy, taking proactive measures like this ensures our community and industry will have a safe, secure water supply well into the future while reducing impacts on the environment,” said Mr Jeffers. 

This project is a partnership with the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, the Corangamite Catchment Management Authority and Southern Rural Water.