Anglesea borefield to be activated next month

RECORD heat to start the year and below-average rainfall for six of the past nine months has led Barwon Water to tap into the Anglesea borefield to supplement water supplies for customers in Anglesea, Aireys Inlet, Torquay, the Bellarine Peninsula and parts of southern Geelong.

Overall storage levels for the Greater Geelong Region are at 69.7 per cent. Water storages in the Barwon system are at 60.5 per cent.

The Anglesea borefield will be become part of the region’s water supply from early next month.

Barwon Water acting managing director Melissa Stephens said the water authority and the state government had made a significant investment in alternative water sources.

“The Anglesea borefield is one of a number of critical backup water sources that can supplement the existing supply system in response to dry conditions.

“Accessing these backup sources is part of a balanced approach to managing the region’s water resources and providing greater water security.

“The Anglesea borefield can provide up to 13 million litres of drinking water a day to Anglesea, Aireys Inlet, Torquay, the Bellarine Peninsula, and parts of southern Geelong.

“We are now seeing the benefits of our planning and investment.

“The Melbourne to Geelong pipeline, switched on in March this year, is delivering up to 20 million litres of water each day to Geelong’s northern suburbs.”

She said the Anglesea borefield would operate in conjunction with an extensive environmental monitoring program, which includes the community in the oversight through the Anglesea River Working Group – made up of a number of key stakeholders including the representatives from the Anglesea Community Network, ANGAIR and Business and Tourism Anglesea.

Barwon Water says it is committed to sharing information on the operation of the borefield.

“We will do this through ongoing updates to the Anglesea River Working Group, online (via our Your Say website), local community and environmental groups and information sessions,” Ms Stephens said.