A $5 million upgrade of the Werribee South irrigation system has been welcomed by locals, but one landowner says the entire system needs to be overhauled.
Launching the project in Werribee last week, state Water Minister Peter Walsh said the upgrade would replace about six kilometres of open channels with pipelines and provide an accurate measurement system showing where water was being lost.
“This modernisation project will save about 600 megalitres a year from channel replacement works alone – this water will then go back into productive use,” he said.
Werribee South farm owner Nik Tsardakis said that although the improvement was welcome, more had to be done because the old open-channel system meant a third of the water allocated to farmers was lost to seepage and evaporation.
“Replacing six kilometres of the system is just the tip of the iceberg. Ultimately, it must all be put through a pipeline,” he said.
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Mr Tsardakis, who leases his property, said farmers and, ultimately, consumers were paying for wastage affecting the viability of farms in the food bowl.
“Continued modernisation of the [water] delivery system is a must for the Werribee irrigation district to continue its significant fresh vegetable productive capacity,” he said.
Committee for Wyndham executive director Chris Potaris said the $5 million investment was critical to the region, which produces $120 million worth of crops from 2400 hectares a year.
“The modernisation will help boost production and provide water security for the district,” he said.
“We look forward to working collaboratively with Southern Rural Water and the state government to see the funding and completion of the full upgrade of the channel system in the years ahead.”
Southern Rural Water director Clinton Rodda said the new pipes were expected to be installed by 2016.
