West Grampians pipeline floated after driest stretch since 2006

With parts of western Victoria the driest it has been in 20 years, farmers and residents have revived a plan for a pipeline to secure the region’s water future.

Western Victorian farmers, residents and rural businesses have revived a plan for a pipeline to deliver secure water from Rocklands Reservoir to towns and hundreds of farms to shore up agriculture and communities.

The push comes as drought sparks a stock water crisis, with many farms in the state’s west having no groundwater.

The proposal would use a maximum of 1 per cent of Rocklands, proponents say, and would stretch from Toolondo in the north, west to Edenhope, south to Nareen and to the east of Balmoral.

Pigeon Ponds farmer Tim Leeming said the plan, which had a business case done in 2018, stalled after good seasons.

“But since 2023 we’ve been in a big rainfall deficit,” Mr Leeming said. “The frequency of extreme weather events is becoming more evident.”

The opportunity to value-add livestock with Wimmera grain, if water was secure, was enormous. And, much of land was unsuitable for crops.

“We have the highest concentration of red meat production in western Victoria,” he said, but warned water insecurity could lead to a significant sell-off.

Elders state wool manager Lachie Brown said the water situation was “as difficult as we have seen since 2006” as dams dry up.

Stock were being sold and water shortages were “really impacting producers’ frame of mind”, he said, backing calls for more water infrastructure east and west of the Grampians.

Meanwhile, at Edenhope water was trucked when bores failed.

Edenhope businessman and farmer Grant Campbell said this summer one of the township’s three bores broke down and storage tanks temporarily dipped to 22 per cent.

Meanwhile some farmers were carting water, but Mr Campbell, who has 140 cattle at Harrow, was facing selling them.

“We need a pipeline. It’s a disgrace, our lake is going dry when there is a pipeline to the Douglas mine out of Rocklands that could be extended here,” he said.

“Harrow, Balmoral, have next to no bore water.

“All through the Mallee, you have that pipeline and places in the middle like Hopetoun have a beautiful big ski lake, we can’t even get water for our town.

“Why can’t we have a piece of it.”

GWMWater managing director Mark Williams said “clarity on environmental benefits and water supply options” was needed on the business case.

GWMWater was looking for solutions for Edenhope and was “committed to... deliver projects that contribute to the prosperity of the region”.

A state government spokesman said GWMWater “continues to investigate the development of potential feasibility and business cases for additional water” west of the Grampians.

Meanwhile, the East Grampians Rural Pipeline was on track for completion by the end of 2026, he said. More than 100km of pipe was laid around Ararat, with planning approval and work contracted at Willaura and Moyston.