Recycled water irrigation across Western Port farmland will help farmers grow high value fresh produce while reducing reliance on drinking water. Image Credit: South East Water.
As climate change places increasing pressure on our water resources, it’s essential we maximise the value of every drop. One way to do this is by using recycled water for agriculture.
This approach is becoming more and more common across the nation and research shows that it’s a safe and reliable method for growing fruit, vegetables and other crops.
The Western Port Recycled Water Scheme, the latest National Water Grid project to start construction, officially started with a sod turning this week. Recycled water, as the name suggests, is at the heart of this project. In fact, it’s currently the largest recycled water project (by volume of water) funded through the National Water Grid Fund.
Once complete, the project will deliver up to 4,000 million litres of Class A high quality recycled water to local farms each year. This is expected to support 40 to 60 farms and supply water to around 2,900 hectares of land. This will help the region keep up with demand for water as the population continues to grow.
The project is forecast to increase gross regional output by $104 million and create 90 construction and agriculture jobs.
Pressure on local waterways will also be reduced as farmers no longer need to rely on them so heavily.
The project’s first step is to begin constructing a 49 km (approx.) water distribution pipeline. This will be undertaken in stages, with local farms progressively being connected to the new network.
The project will support farms in the regions of:
Pakenham South
Cora Lynn
Vervale
Catani
Iona
Garfield
Bayles
Tynong.
It will also include a new pump station and upgrades to the local water treatment plant.
