The project is jointly funded by the Australian Government ($10,975,000) and Southern Rural Water ($10,975,000). Australian Government funding is provided through the National Water Grid Fund.
The project will support increased supply of reliable water needed to produce high-value crops such as lettuce.
Project overview
Farmers in the Werribee Irrigation District are facing an increasingly drier climate. This project has increased the reliability of irrigated water supply to these farmers. The existing irrigation network was old and consisted of open channels. Customer outlets needed to be turned on and off manually. This meant the network was inefficient and lost a lot of water to leakage and evaporation.
Stages 4 and 5 involved:
- replacing existing open channels with 16.2km of new pipelines
- the automation of 70 customer outlets and flow meters
- constructing a new regulator inside the Tarneit Steet irrigation channel.
The new pipeline provides improved flow control and operation. It also creates better water service levels to support on-farm productivity.
The Werribee region is 30 km southwest of Melbourne. It is one of Victoria’s biggest producers of fresh vegetables. The region specialises in leafy green vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower and lettuce, with a farm gate value of more than $187 million. With the completion of the Stages 4 and 5, the region will be able to access an extra 1,350 megalitres of water per year through water savings.
Across all 5 stages of the Werribee Irrigation District Modernisation, approximately 5,000 megalitres of water savings have been generated. A portion of this has been committed to enhance local irrigation and the health of the Werribee River.
Construction on Stage 4 was completed in September 2023 and Stage 5 was completed in December 2024.
Key project benefits
Learn more
- Learn about the $46.3 million Victoria Connections package and how its projects will support the Victorian agricultural industry.
- Learn more about the National Water Grid Fund as our primary program for responsible investment in water projects.
- Find out more by visiting the Southern Rural Water project page.