Victoria fires up desalination plant as storage levels drop below 2024 level
Victoria will fire up its seldom used desalination plant for the first time in three years as Melbourne’s water storages drop more than 10 per cent below over the past year.
Victoria
Don't miss out on the headlines from Victoria. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The state’s desalination plant will be fired up as water storage levels plummet but the move will see Melbourne and Geelong water users pay an extra $12 on their bills next financial year.
For the first time in three years, the Wonthaggi desalination plant will be rebooted to deliver a 50 billion litre order to ensure healthier storages for Melbourne and regional areas such as Geelong.
The decision comes as Melbourne water storage levels dropped to their lowest in four years during summer.
Melbourne’s water storages currently stand at 78.1 per cent, a stark contrast to 91.5 per cent during the same period last year.
This represents a reduction of 230 billion litres.
Geelong’s storage has plummeted to a six-year low of 42.2 per cent.
When announcing the order, Water Minister Gayle Tierney also highlighted that Melbourne’s population has surged – with an increase of 140,000 residents last year.
The government say this growth has intensified the strain on local water supplies.
The city annually consumes between 50 to 70 gigalitres more water than what is captured in its reservoirs from rainfall.
“We’re making sure that families in Geelong and Melbourne have access to an affordable, safe and secure drinking water supply. The Desalination Plant is critical to delivering this,” Ms Tierney said.
“We know that in a severe drought, storage levels can drop by 20 per cent in as little as a year, which is why we’re acting now to avoid water restrictions and put us in a strong position for the long term.”
The desal plant was completed in late 2012, but was not switched on until 2016-17.
Since orders began, more than 455 billion litres have been processed.
Originally published as Victoria fires up desalination plant as storage levels drop below 2024 level
I went diving with sharks without a cage. This is what happened
We sent a journalist to take the plunge at Sea Life Melbourne’s new Shark Dive Xtreme to swim alongside resident sharks, turtles and stingrays without a cage. Watch the video.
Backroom Baz: Albo holding firm on Allan ban
When Anthony Albanese was making his first tilt for The Lodge, he couldn’t get enough of his old housemate Daniel Andrews. But fast forward three years, and the same can’t be said for current Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan.