Wannon Water’s Board has announced a significant upgrade of the Port Fairy Water Treatment Plant to improve the town’s water quality.
The project is part of the $52.2 million Quality Water for Wannon Program. It is jointly funded by the Australian Government through its National Water Grid Fund and Wannon Water, which will deliver the project on behalf of its customers and the Victorian Government.
The five-year project will also upgrade water treatment plants at Portland and Heywood. The three communities are all supplied with deep groundwater that is high in naturally occurring mineral salts. While the water is safe to drink and the supply is very reliable, many people find the taste less palatable, leading to reduced consumption.
Managing Director Andrew Jeffers said the program would benefit households in the three towns by reducing their cost of buying bottled water and maintaining appliances by around $140 each year.
“The benefits will also extend more broadly across the region with an estimated $1 million a year in public health savings as well as improved economic and environmental outcomes,” Jeffers said.
Upgrading the water treatment plant by adding reverse osmosis was the only option to improve water quality in Portland and Heywood. However, in Port Fairy, Wannon Water investigated both an upgrade of the treatment plant and the construction of a pipeline to connect to Warrnambool.
“Each option had strengths. However, the local treatment option was the recommended approach based on all the assessment criteria,” Jeffers said. “This included the lower costs involved, the greater reliability of both water quality and water security, less upstream impacts on the environment, and greater flexibility for the future. We’ve sought feedback from customers and interested stakeholders over the past few weeks. The results have been overwhelming, with more than 75 per cent of people saying they love the project, and the majority favouring reverse osmosis as the preferred option.”
Jeffers said it was clear that customers were frustrated by the poor water quality and wanted improvements as soon as possible.
The Board’s decision signals the start of a detailed design and approval process for Port Fairy. By 2029, all three towns will have improved water quality.
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