Construction of a recycled water storage dam in Melton as part of the Western Irrigation Network is now complete, with the site anticipated to collect as much as 1.1-gigalitres of water for farmers.
Plans to create the vast reserve to reuse water runoff for agricultural landholders from Parwan to Balliang were approved by the Western Water board in June 2018.
Now completed, the Melton Recycled Water Plan is expected to begin providing irrigation from early 2023.
The recycled water storage dam is part of a larger co-investment from the state and federal government to improve recycled water infrastructure in Melbourne’s west. The project is expected to wrap up in 2025.
The project also involves the creation of a 50-kilometre pipeline to disperse the resource across the region.
The was formally opened on Monday with Greater Western Water representatives and Melton MP Steve McGhie in attendance.
Deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce said the aim is to have a network that supplies more than 18-gigalitres of recycled water annually by 2050.
“Projects like the Western Irrigation Network will support Aussie farmers and communities well into the future, helping them grow their businesses and creating more jobs,” Mr Joyce said.
