Next generation water supply

Many factors have influenced the decision to transform Melbourne’s water supply sources.

Population growth and changes to our climate and land use, will all have an impact on the security of our future water supply. A sustainable water strategy has been developed for four key regions identified in Victoria, with a view to:

• Enhancing the health and sustainability of our water resources
• Providing greater water security heading into the future; and
• Encouraging efficient use of water and increasing recycling and re-use of water

Desalination

Desalination is the process of removing dissolved salts from a salt water source – such as sea water. There are many countries whose main water supply comes from desalination plants including Spain, Malta, Cypress and many Middle Eastern countries. Desalination is part of water supply networks for Perth, Adelaide, Sydney, the Gold Coast and Melbourne. The Victorian Desalination Plant near Wonthaggi was commissioned in 2012 and is capable of producing up to 150 billion litres of water a year to supplement existing catchment supplies, if required. Read about the Victorian Desalination Plant.

What is Yarra Valley Water doing?

Yarra Valley Water is committed to developing innovative projects to deliver more sustainable water and sewerage services. Partnering with other organisations, we can plan to deliver projects that improve the health of urban waterways, create greener open spaces for the community, reduce the urban heat island effect and secure future water supplies.