By Kath Gannaway
Yarra Ranges Council and local growers will continue to look for funding opportunities for the Coldstream Recycled Water Pipeline following notification that the project failed to get funding under the Federal Government’s National Water Infrastructure Program.
The Council, Casey MP Tony Smith and Agribusiness Yarra Valley had advocated strongly for the pipeline which was first mooted 15 years ago as a way of providing water security primarily in the Coldstream and Gruyere areas.
The pipeline scheme would supply recycled water from Yarra Valley Water’s plant at Lilydale through a 20km pipeline at a cost of approximately $6 million to twenty growers that are leading employers in the region from the strawberry and wine grape industries.
Cr Jim Child said while the announcement that the project had not been successful was disappointing, all the research and work that had gone into developing the feasibility study and lobbing would not be wasted.
“We have all that there and will be looking for (funding) opportunities in the future,” he said.
Cr Child said water security for the Yarra Valley was very important.
“Especially around that area where the pipeline will be, there are limited ways growers can access water. There are farm dams, and some have pumping rights from the Yarra, but it’s still not sufficient and we need some way of maintaining that integrity at times when water is needed.”
Cr Child said the other important aspect of the proposal was the 18,000 megalitres of b-class, treated water that goes into the Olinda Creek and on to the Yarra River from the Lilydale waste water plant.
“If we can divert that towards Coldstream and Gruyere to go into those off stream dams to be stored for use when it is needed, you have a much better outcome,” he said.
Agribusiness Yarra Valley Chair Clive Larkman said the pipeline was about planning for the future.
“It seems stupid to have perfectly good water going down the river,” he said.
He said Agribusiness would keep advocating for the project.
