THE state government will spend nearly $25 million on a recycled water pipeline which will provide water to Mordialloc.
The 42 kilometre pipeline will deliver recycled water to 46 sites across the Kingston, Bayside, and Monash local council areas. Around 1800 megalitres of water is expected to pass through the pipeline each year.
The planned Dingley Recycled Water Scheme is expected to cost $72 million to complete. As well as Mordialloc, the pipeline will provide water to sites in Waterways, Dingley Village, Braeside, Heatherton, Sandringham, Cheltenham, and Clayton South.
The state government will contribute $24.8 million to the project, and South East Water will also chip in money. It is expected to be up and running by 2025.
Victorian water minister Lisa Neville said that the scheme would help “respond to the needs of our growing population sustainably by delivering green public spaces all year round without impacting our drinking water supply.”
“Those who remember the Millennium drought in the 2000s will know the impact on businesses, parks and sporting fields and communities. This initiative will provide a rainfall independent water supply,” she said.
Kingston Council has welcomed the announcement, saying that the recycled water will be used on multiple Green Wedge protected sites.
Kingston mayor Steve Staikos said the Dingley Recycled Water Scheme is “a great example of councils working in partnership with the Victorian Government to deliver initiatives that tick off multiple priorities for our community – preserving our environment, preserving and strengthening agriculture in our Green Wedge, fostering our businesses and taking steps to mitigate the impacts of climate change.”
“We have world-class golf courses that attract thousands of visitors per year, productive growing lands that feed and green Melbourne, and treasured open spaces. Our community expects us to protect these assets so they can be enjoyed for years to come,” he said.
South East Water will contribute funding to the project and deliver it. The organisation’s acting managing director Charlie Littlefair said “recycled water projects help build resilience into our water systems, strengthening our entire water supply network and helping more of our customers and the community to harness the benefits of a rain independent source of high-quality water.”
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 1 June 2022
