The Otways

This action is to revise the caps on the amount of unallocated surface water available for winter-fill diversions. About 3.5 GL of unallocated water in the Otway catchments is available for winter-fill diversion under the existing sustainable diversion limit. This water has not been allocated in the Otway catchment because there has been insufficient demand.

The PCV Surface Water Order 2010 will be updated to reflect these changes. The amount of water available for new entitlements in the Otways catchments is to be reviewed as part of the WRSWS review process.

The Progress report considered that this action is progressing.

The 2010 order applies to (PCV orders): Thomson, Latrobe, Bunyip, Yarra, Maribyrnong, Werribee, Moorabool, Barwon, Otway Coast River Basins.

DELWP plans to update the 2010 PCV Surface Water Order.

Action status (5-yearly assessment): Partly or not yet achieved

Delivery period: NA

This action contributed to effective and comprehensive water supply and demand planning to ensure the reliability of supply for urban and industrial users. Barwon Water and Wannon Water developed water supply-demand strategies in 2012.

WfV now requires Victoria’s urban water corporations to develop urban water strategies, which provide detailed, 50-year forecasts of demand, and supply options. Urban water strategies are to be based on the government’s climate guidelines, which set out essential data and advice about how to assess the impact of climate change on water supplies.

The water corporations revised their water supply-demand strategies as urban water strategies in 2017.

Action status (5-yearly assessment): Achieved and completed

Delivery period: 2012, 2017

This action is working towards improving environmental flows in the Gellibrand River. Wannon Water, DEECA and the Corangamite CMA are implementing the action through the Gellibrand Summer Flows Improvement Project. The results of several completed investigations are available on Wannon Water’s website, and investigations into improving flows in the river are continuing. The Gellibrand River has high environmental values, and it is a major source of water for urban communities and agriculture. Low flows in summer, particularly in dry years, put the river’s ecological values at risk.

Since the WRSWS was developed, there has been increased community concern about acid sulfate soils. A groundwater substitution option at the South Otway Pump site has been shown as unlikely to be viable, given the risk of its environmental impact and the yield and quality of the groundwater.

Wannon Water, in partnership with Corangamite CMA, has updated its cost estimates for all the augmentation options using information it gained when investigating the groundwater substitution option and revisiting its options analysis. Other augmentation options were also investigated (such as building an off-stream, winter-fill storage or extracting groundwater from the Curdievale borefield). The report will be publicly available soon.

Wannon Water has established a stakeholder reference group to provide an opportunity for the community to contribute and so improve the project’s outcomes.

The Progress report confirmed that this action is progressing. Project Control Group will work with partners (CCMA, WW, SRW, DEECA) to resolve how a business case for preferred augmentations can be completed, by building an off-stream, winter-fill storage or extracting groundwater from the Curdievale borefield). The report will be publicly available soon.

Wannon Water has established a stakeholder reference group to provide an opportunity for the community to contribute and so improve the project’s outcomes.

Action status (5-yearly assessment): Partly or not yet achieved

Delivery period: NA