Water from the Victorian Desalination Plant is once again flowing into Melbourne’s water storages, boosting water supplies for the months ahead.
A delivery of 50 billion litres of desalinated water begins today and is scheduled to continue over the coming months.
The Victorian Government announced the order for the desalinated water in April this year, in response to below-average rainfall and population growth putting increasing pressure on water supplies.
This year’s delivery of desalinated water follows Victoria’s driest autumn in 17 years and driest summer in more than a decade.
Melbourne’s water storages are currently at 71.5%, marking a decline of more than 15% since the same time last year.
In Geelong, water storages have fallen to 36.5%, a drop of more than 20% over the same period.
In addition to replenishing Melbourne’s water storages, the addition of desalinated water will free up system supply for regional communities, including Geelong and towns throughout South Gippsland.
The Victorian Desalination Plant produces high-quality drinking water through a sophisticated filtration process that extracts drinking water from seawater.
An order for desalinated water is considered by the Victorian Government in March each year, based on expert advice related to water storage levels, forecasts for water demand and climate conditions.
Annual orders of desalinated water, when needed, help keep water storages stable and provide an essential buffer against dry conditions and severe droughts.
By the end of the year, the Victorian Desalination Plant will have supplied half a trillion litres of water to Melbourne storages since 2016. This volume is equivalent to 28% of Melbourne’s total water storage capacity.
Page last updated: 01/07/25