Recycled water pipeline from Connewarre to Colac would improve Anglesea River, Karaaf Wetlands

Enough recycled water to fill 20 swimming pools is pumped into Bass Strait daily from Connewarre, the state opposition says. That’s prompted a $250,000 election promise.

A project to build a pipeline to pump recycled water from Connewarre to Colac via Anglesea and Torquay, and save up to the equivalent of 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools daily, would be investigated under a state opposition election promise.

Richard Riordan, Member for Polwarth

Polwarth MP Richard Riordan, who if re-elected would represent Torquay and other Surf Coast communities, said 50 megalitres of high-quality recycled water was pumped into Bass Strait from the Black Rock Water Reclamation Plant at Connewarre each day.

That amount of water would fill 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools, according to numbers from the Bureau of Meteorology.

Mr Riordan said the work, dubbed the Victorian Lakes Pipeline Project, was part of the Coalition’s commitment to invest 25 per cent of state infrastructure funding in regional Victoria.

Mr Riordan said under the planned project:

— Recycled and fresh water from Connewarre would be pumped to Anglesea, where it would be used to improve the quality of the Anglesea River that had “high levels of acidity and metal salts”; and

— Water would be piped to Lake Modewarre currently below historical levels caused by a restriction of its catchment from the Wurdee Boluc reservoir.

From Modewarre, the pipeline would run to Lake Colac, Victoria’s largest natural freshwater

lake, where the water would be used to ensure healthy water levels, Mr Riordan said.

Barwon Water reclamation facility at Connewarre, as part of the Black Rock Environmental Precinct. Picture: Peter Ristevski

Mr Riordan said the feasibility study, which would include a community engagement process, would assess the benefits against the construction and operational costs of the pipeline to understand the net benefit.

“The project would create substantial environmental, economic, and social benefits for the

Surf Coast and Colac regions,” he said.

“One of the objectives of the project would be to mitigate the effect of an increase in

storm water runoff from urban development in Torquay, which is threatening the natural

character of the Karaaf Wetlands.

“(It would also) would facilitate better management of freshwater runoff in Torquay and flows to the Karaaf Wetlands and enable surplus water to be redirected to areas where it would have a positive impact.

Originally published as Recycled water pipeline from Connewarre to Colac would improve Anglesea River, Karaaf Wetlands