Pumps turned on as Geelong’s big dry bites

The Andrews Government has begun pumping water from Melbourne to Geelong as dry weather and static restrictions continue draining the region’s storages.
Barwon Water had ordered six billion litres from Melbourne as the storages fell to levels unseen “since the millennium drought”, the government said today.
The storages held 34.5 per cent of capacity this week as Geelong water restrictions remained unchanged at the lowest level.
A 59km pipe costing $80 million will deliver the Melbourne water from the city’s Thomson/Yarra catchment storage.
The government will be able to cover any transfers to Melbourne with water from Victoria’s $4 billion desalination plant at Wonthaggi.
The government recently ordered the first water from the plant since its completion in over three years ago.
The government said the Melbourne water would come with “no additional cost” for Geelong consumers.
“Geelong has continued to experience declining storage levels that have not been seen since the millennium drought”, Water Minister and Bellarine MP Lisa Neville said.
“Thankfully, the Melbourne to Geelong pipeline was constructed by the previous Labor Government as an insurance policy against future drought and will now be switched on for the first time to help provide the region with greater water security.
“Switching on the pipeline will give local families, businesses and industry in Geelong peace of mind about their future water security.”