Where does your water come from?

It’s a simple question, but there are many different answers. If we were solely dependent on rainfall, then the Greater Geelong region would have been challenged by this extremely dry period, which dates to 2023.

Geelong and Colac would have been on water restrictions by now, if not for an inter-connected network, diverse supply options, water saving measures and water smart initiatives.

This includes a collaborative water-sharing model, that starts at the Victorian Desalination Plant in Wonthaggi and stretches to the south-west, allowing us to move water to where it is needed. Variety isn’t just the spice of life; it’s our ticket to securing life’s essential substance. ---- Water covers about 70 per cent of the Earth’s surface.

But only one per cent can be used for drinking, and locally that resource is becoming scarcer. Rainfall is increasingly unreliable, and our climate is getting hotter, at a time that demand is being fuelled by being the fastest growing region in Australia.

Inflows to our reservoirs have reduced by up to 50% the last 20 years - and Barwon Water is preparing for it to halve again in the next 40 years. We’ve been able to offset that shortfall with an ongoing focus on efficiency and through other sources, such as the Melbourne to Geelong Pipeline.

Construction is underway on an upgrade, to increase the pipeline’s annual capacity from 16 billion litres to 22 billion litres per year. We have a separate one-way pipeline from Geelong to Colac, which was vital earlier in the year in supplementing Colac’s supplies. This connected grid is supported by our investments in recycled water and stormwater initiatives.

A major project is under construction in Portarlington, which will double the amount of recycled water available for Bellarine-based primary producers. Work is also underway to put stormwater and recycled water to productive use in the Surf Coast hinterland, while we’re expanding our recycled water network.

We’re also expanding water basins; improving treatment plant processes; and using smart technology for innovations in hydrogen production, greywater recycling and sewer network monitoring. This diverse portfolio and suite of proactive measures allows us to flexibly manage resources and ensure we can get water to where it is most needed.

We will continue to invest in a range of options, to ensure safe and reliable drinking water supplies are maintained in the coming decades. And we will need a variety of levers to pull, so we’re not left lip syncing along with Milli Vanilli and blaming it on the (lack of) rain.