The Victorian Water crisis

As we soar through 40 deg days we can be secure in the knowledge that at least we will always have fresh, cooling water. But will we? Victoria’s damns are at historic lows, and long range forecasts and the impact of climate change suggest that most of Victoria will get less rainfall. There has been a lot of media about the desalination plant being built, the pipeline and the recent Target 155 water saving blitz. But will this solve our water problem and what is the best solution for Victoria?

Is it true that the desalination plant is necessary because our government has been too slack in planning? Did you know that more water flows out of Melbourne, via stormwater, waste water and wasted water than we consume?? The amount of stormwater in Metro Melbourne is around 400 billion litres / year and roughly equates to the total Melbourne water usage - so why isn’t stormwater a large part of the water solution for Melbourne? The desalination plant is going to provide 150 billion litres a year of very expensive water – we have figures to suggest that the average consumer is better off installing a water tank and reducing their water consumption to a minimum!!

We will talk to 2 people in the know on today’s show! Sheryl West from Yarra Valley Water will tell us about the Target 155 and how this will impact Victoria’s water supply, and Professor Peter Coombes from Bonacci Water will talk about what water solutions are best for Victoria and clear up some of the muddy water around water tanks and desalination plants!


Check out the podcasts for all the details.