The proposed East Werribee precinct will be the first employment and residential area in Victoria to use stormwater and rainwater for non-drinking purposes, according to the state government.
Water Minister Peter Walsh said the Growth Areas Authority would use a $250,000 grant to develop a plan to capture, treat and use stormwater and rainwater for non-drinking purposes.
Mr Walsh said it was important to make better use of water.
“There is no better time to begin that planning than these early stages of a development,” he said.
It was the first time these concepts had been “substantially incorporated” into a precinct structure plan, he said.
Mr Walsh said the East Werribee plan included 60 hectares of lakes and waterways fed by stormwater. The precinct would use treated stormwater for non-drinking purposes such as watering recreational areas and gardens.
Mr Walsh said measures would be introduced to reduce the amount of run-off from house roofs entering waterways.
Western Metropolitan Liberal MP Andrew Elsbury said it was important to create a “more adaptable, resilient and cost-effective water system” in new residential areas such as East Werribee, which was expected to house 20,000 residents and provide almost 60,000 jobs.
“With Melbourne’s growing population and increasingly variable rainfall, it makes sense to become smarter with all our water sources – including our drinking water supplies and the use of rainwater, stormwater and recycled water,” Mr Elsbury said.
“Making better use of alternative water sources will reduce cost pressures across the system, which in turn will help ensure our neighbourhoods are liveable, sustainable and productive as our population grows.”
