When Victoria was recovering from the worst drought in our history, we began work on a project to guarantee our water supply.
We knew there would be another drought, and there will be.
Our population is growing by 95,000 people a year while half the state is bone dry. Some water storages have dropped as low as 40%. Country towns are struggling.
The Victorian Desalination Project is our insurance policy.
The plant can supply up to 150 billion litres of high quality drinking water a year, around a third of Melbourne’s total water consumption.
And using a complex system of underground pipelines, the water can be moved to the places where it’s needed most.
Turning on the desal plant is a big step, but it is the right one.
That's why we've placed an order for 50 billion litres. It will guarantee our water security, the strength of our economy and our quality of life.
Reviewed 19 August 2020