General News
3 November, 2022
Water security feasibility study funded for local shires
A major water infrastructure project aimed at bringing water security to the Pyrenees, Central Goldfields and Northern Grampians shires and estimated to cost more than $40 million has received funding for a feasibility study. The Southern Wimmer...
A major water infrastructure project aimed at bringing water security to the Pyrenees, Central Goldfields and Northern Grampians shires and estimated to cost more than $40 million has received funding for a feasibility study.
The Southern Wimmera and North East Pyrenees Water Supply Feasibility Study received a $300,000 funding injection from the Victorian Government, with the study to assess whether water consolidation efforts across parts of the three municipalities — covering around 300,000 hectares — would be viable.
The study will assess the economic and community benefits water security in the region would bring, with the Pyrenees Shire partnering with Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water and the Northern Grampians and Central Goldfields Shire councils to bring it to fruition.
In the pipeline since 2019, Pyrenees Shire CEO Jim Nolan said a funded feasibility study meant the three councils could address concerns relating to water security.
“It’s been on the cards since at least 2019 when we met with a number of land owners and farmers in the Natte Yallock area and that was around the time we were experiencing a significant period of drought and prior to that, there was the millenium drought,” he said.
“That saw a lot of farmers having to cart water and de-stock and the cost to agriculture because of the lack of water was a major issue to them.
“We are keen to ensure the community needs are met and the views of the community are well supported.
“Agriculture and viticulture are certainly important parts of our economy and the opportunity here to address the concerns those industries have around water security and their concerns during periods of drought are significant and we want to be able to see if there’s a solution to this that might bring about some uplift to the economy as a result.”
The feasibility study covers an area from Wareek and Bealiba in the Central Goldfields Shire to Elmhurst and Crowlands in the Pyrenees, across to Glenorchy and just south of St Arnaud in the Northern Grampians.
The Pyrenees Shire Council’s funding application to the government states the anticipated benefits of the project include increasing productivity and profitability of the region’s agriculture and viticulture sectors, thereby raising household incomes and standards of living.
According to the application, over 75 percent of jobs in the Avoca and Natte Yallock area and north of Stawell are in agriculture and viticulture.
The application also states that if proven feasible, the project will mitigate the impacts of climate change by providing sustainable, high quality water solutions to rural properties, towns and hamlets relying on saline ground water supplies or those without a town water supply.
Funded through the government’s Investment Fast Track Fund stream, the $300,000 grant will support the investigation, planning, concept design and feasibility to help get the project ready for investment.