It is providing the biggest single boost to the city’s water supply, since the Thomson Dam, 130km east of Melbourne, was built more than 25 years ago.
The $750m project, a key but controversial part of the Victorian Government’s Water Plan, will hopefully bring 70,000ML or one eighth of a Sydharb of water to Melbourne this year. The offset, agreed to by several major Goulburn Valley irrigators, was a $903m stage 1 irrigation infrastructure upgrade in northern Victoria, which it is hoped will provide significant water savings.
But with Lake Eildon, which feeds the Goulburn River from which the pipeline draws its water, at 29% capacity, there is some scepticism abroad about how much water will actually make the trip. However Eildon is holding more than 50% more water than it was at this time last year. It reached a record low of 5.4% or 180,040ML in 2006.
The Opposition has said that if it gets the support of the Greens and the DLP, it will block crucial government amendments to the Eildon-Goulburn bulk entitlements that allow Melbourne to divert northern Victorian water savings down the pipeline. But the government will still be able to divert at least 22,000ML not “created” from irrigation upgrades.
Victorian Premier John Brumby, in turning on the water said, “Our major water projects, including this pipeline and the desalination plant, are the roadmap back from severe water restrictions.”
Despite good rainfall late last year, Melbourne’s water storages are only at 35.7%.
The Sugarloaf Pipeline delivered:
• More than 1200 full-time jobs – 40% of workers were from the region;
• $200m to the economy by providing work for 300 Victorian businesses;
• More than $5m in grants to support local community initiatives; and
• Six permanent CFA access points along the pipeline to boost the region’s fire-fighting capacity.
Water from Lake Eildon, has also been made available in the last four years, to augment urban supplies in Bendigo and Ballarat, and to help irrigators.
The pipeline can pump up to 340ML a day; normal operation is around 300 a day.Power required for the two pump stations, will be offset through the purchase of renewable energy, and a newly-completed hydro plant will generate electricity as water from the pipe flows into Sugarloaf Reservoir.
The project was undertaken by the Sugarloaf Pipeline Alliance made up of Melbourne Water, GHD, Sinclair Knight Mertz and John Holland. It took 16 months to complete the project with all the pipes being laid in nine months.
