Coliban Water’s storages are in a good position after summer which shows customers are using water wisely as the region adapts to a hotter and drier climate and population growth.
Executive General Manager Climate and Population Adaptation Steve Healy said the three Coliban River catchment storages, near Kyneton, are at 70 per cent, with a volume of 48,920 megalitres.
“We thank our customers for using water efficiently by following the Permanent Water Saving Rules that apply to all towns in our region when no water restrictions are in force,” said Mr Healy.
“Using water efficiently is everyone’s responsibility to help secure water supplies for current and future generations and support liveable and resilient communities. Everything we do to conserve water – even in the cooler months – helps our overall water security.
Coliban Water’s catchment storages traditionally receive 85-90 per cent of their annual inflow in winter and spring.
“We are experiencing hotter and drier weather due to climate change and can’t be complacent and expect our current water sources to be as reliable in the future.
“We received 96 millimetres of rain at Malmsbury Reservoir this summer, which is 28 millimetres below our long-term average for summer and six millimetres less than last summer.
“We’re focused on the challenges of water security and climate adaptation outlined in our Strategy 2030, our 10-year plan to achieve our vision of Water to Live, Grow and Enjoy. Strategy 2030 guides us to ensure there is enough water to sustain and grow economic activity and investment for our region,” said Mr Healy.
Coliban Water has nine separate water supply systems across the region, each with different supply source and level of water security which are all reliant on rainfall over winter and spring.
“We manage our water resources for dry conditions. The diversification of our supply systems has given us greater access to water to ensure we have supply in store,” said Mr Healy.
“In February, we commenced pumping water via Goldfields Superpipe and using our allocation in Lake Eppalock to supply towns in our Coliban Northern system, which includes Bendigo.
“This reduces the demand on our storages, which are the only supply for towns in our Coliban Southern system, Castlemaine, Kyneton, Malmsbury, Maldon and Harcourt, and our rural network.
“We announce our rural season allocation on 1 July 2020, determined on our assessment of available water for the next two seasons and what we anticipate will be available for 2023/24.
“Our rural system supplies untreated water to more than 1,350 rural licence holders via our 500 kilometres of channels and pipelines. Last season we delivered about 3,700 megalitres of water,” said Mr Healy.
Further advice for customers on using water wisely in their homes, gardens and businesses is available through the Victorian Government’s Target Your Water Use program.
For more information on Rural, Water Security and Permanent Water Saving Rules see our website www.coliban.com.au
Last updated on 12 Mar 2020