Sugarloaf Pipeline South-North Transfer Preliminary Business Case Summary Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning Sugarloaf Pipeline South-North Transfer 2 Sugarloaf Pipeline South-North Transfer Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning Introduction During the Millennium Pipeline to provide water security The key questions asked in the Drought, Victoria made to towns and communities in both preliminary business case were: large investments in the directions. The work has shown that it is technically feasible to • What infrastructure is required state’s water security. The pump water north with additional for bi-directional pumping and Victorian Desalination works to existing infrastructure. It is it technically feasible? Project was commissioned, would require additional capital • How much water can be investment and it is an option that $1 billion dollars was pumped from the Melbourne government will continue to invested in upgrading the system to the Goulburn River? explore. Goulburn-Murray Irrigation • When can water be transferred District, and the water grid The primary benefits available by and where can it be used? was expanded, including sending water north through the building the Sugarloaf Sugarloaf Pipeline include: • Is the infrastructure financially viable? Pipeline. • supplying water to irrigators and private diverters to improve This document summarises the As a consequence of these agricultural productivity; key findings of the preliminary investments, the Victorian business case. Government has determined that • improving water security for up to an additional 75 gigalitres rural towns and urban centres (GL) per year be available for use connected to the water grid; in northern Victoria. This will support industry and farmers, • making water available to be particularly during dry conditions. traded to its highest value use; and The government made a commitment to consider the • enhancing the flexibility of the feasibility of using the Sugarloaf Victorian Water Grid. Sugarloaf Pipeline South-North Transfer 3 Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning Existing systems and infrastructure Melbourne System Goulburn System Sugarloaf Pipeline The Melbourne water system is The Goulburn system delivers The 72km long Sugarloaf Pipeline able to deliver water to homes, water to towns, irrigators and runs from the Goulburn River near businesses, irrigators and public domestic and stock schemes Yea, south over the Great Dividing spaces across metropolitan across northern Victoria including Range near the Melba Highway to Melbourne and the surrounding communities near Shepparton, Sugarloaf Reservoir. It includes an centres including Geelong, Melton Bendigo, Rochester, Echuca and offtake from the Goulburn River and Sunbury and the South Boort. The system also provides with a 300 megalitres (ML) per Gippsland and Westernport environmental flows to priority day pump station at Goulburn regions. The system also provides waterways such as the Goulburn River, an additional 300 ML per environmental flows to priority and Murray rivers. Water can be day high-lift pump station to waterways such as the Yarra, transferred from the Goulburn pump water over the Great Thomson, Tarago and Werribee system to Melbourne via the Dividing Range, a Balance Tank rivers. Sugarloaf Pipeline. on the Great Dividing Range and a discharge chute into the Water is delivered to households, The Goulburn system main Sugarloaf Reservoir. The pipeline irrigators and businesses by water storage is Lake Eildon, which has system was designed to convey corporations including South East a storage capacity of 3,334 GL. water from north to south to Water, City West Water, Barwon The other significant storage is supply water from the Goulburn Water, Western Water, Gippsland the Waranga Basin, a 432 GL River to metropolitan Melbourne. Water, Westernport Water, South off-river storage from water Gippsland Water, Southern Rural diverted from the Goulburn River The pipeline was constructed Water and Yarra Valley Water. at Goulburn Weir. Average annual during a time when Melbourne inflows to storages are was facing the potential of The Melbourne system has 10 approximately 3,287 GL per year entering into stage 4 water storages with a combined total and vary depending on seasonal restrictions. It was the only viable storage capacity of more than conditions. Average annual water option able to deliver a 1,812 GL. Average annual inflows to diversions in the Goulburn system substantial volume of water to Melbourne’s four major is approximately 1,638 GL. Melbourne in the relatively short harvesting storages (Thomson, timeframe required. Upper Yarra, Maroondah and O’Shannassy reservoirs) are Once the VDP was on line it was approximately 500 GL per year, envisaged that the pipeline would although they were much lower provide added flexibility for water during the Millennium Drought distribution across Victoria. This period 1997–2009 when average included retaining the water annual inflows declined to allocated to Melbourne in Lake approximately 380 GL per year. Eildon and redirecting it to other The system is also able to receive parts of Victoria. water from the Victorian Desalination Plant (VDP), which can supply up to 150 GL per year of high quality drinking water, and from the Goulburn System via the Sugarloaf Pipeline. In 2015–16 approximately 432 GL was used within the Melbourne system by households, industry and other water users. As Melbourne’s population increases into the future, the volume of water used is expected to increase. 4 Sugarloaf Pipeline South-North Transfer Lake Victoria Darling River Lindsay-Wallpolla Mildura Water grid Victoria Mulcra Islands Hattah Lakes Murrumbidgee River Lake Victoria Darling River Northern Mallee Lindsay-WallpollaNyah Mildura Water grid Victoria Pipeline Mulcra Islands Lake Tyrell Swan HattahHill Lakes Murrumbidgee River Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning Northern Mallee Pipeline Nyah Lake Tyrell Lake Lake Victoria Darling Swan Hill Albacutya River Gunbower Lindsay-Wallpolla Mildura Water grid Victoria Mulcra Islands Forest Lake Barmah-Millewa Albacutya Gunbower Forest Forest Hattah Lakes Barmah-Millewa Murrumbidgee River Forest Lake Lake Kerang Barmah Lake Murray Murray Hindmarsh Kerang Weir BarmahChoke Mulwalla Lake River Wimmera Mallee River Hindmarsh Weir Choke Broken Pipeline Northern Mallee Yarrawonga Mulwalla Wimmera Nyah Creek Pipeline Main Channel Lake Hume River Wodonga Lake Tyrell Echuca From SwanCampaspe Hill Snowy Hydro Wimmera Mallee River Loddon Broken Pipeline Weir Ovens KiewaYarrawonga Horsham Lake Creek Wimmera Albacutya Gunbower Shepparton River River WarangaForest Barmah-Millewa Main Channel Western King Lake Hume Loddon GoulburnForest Broken Traralgon Wodonga River Wimmera Channel Weir River River From Mackenzie Taylors RiverLake River KerangEchuca Barmah Lake Murray River Lake HindmarshMt Campaspe Weir Waranga ChokeEast Goulburn Mulwalla LakeRiver Dartmouth William Wimmera Mallee Snowy Hydro Bendigo Basin Main ChannelBroken Lake Buffalo Creek Pipeline Yarrawonga Wimmera Laanecoorie Creek River Main Channel Lake Hume River Reservoir Echuca Wodonga From Lake Campaspe Lake William Hovell Snowy Hydro Loddon River Rocklands LoddonEppalock Toolondo Channel Weir Lake Ovens Kiewa Lake WeirHorsham Tullaroop Lake Nillahcootie River River Toolondo Wartook Lonsdale Cairn Waranga Shepparton Reservoir Reservoir CampaspeWestern King Great Dividing Range Curran Loddon Goulburn Broken Traralgon Wimmera River Channel Weir River River Ovens Kiewa Fyans Mackenzie Taylors RiverReservoir River Horsham River Lake Mt Coliban WarangaGoulburnEast Goulburn River Lake Dartmouth Lake Creek William River Bendigo Basin Main Channel Lake Eildon Lake Buffalo River River Bellfield Creek Goldfields Laanecoorie Shepparton Reservoir Superpipe WarangaLake Lake William Hovell Rocklands Rocklands Eppalock Reservoir Toolondo Channel Lake Sugarloaf Lake TullaroopWestern Lake Nillahcootie Toolondo Wartook WhiteLonsdale Swan Cairn pipeline Broken King Reservoir Reservoir Curran Campaspe GoulburnUpper Great Dividing Range Traralgon Great Dividing RangeLoddon Reservoir Reservoir River Wimmera Fyans Coliban Lake Channel Goulburn River Yarra Creek Ballarat River Weir Lake Eildon River River Mackenzie Taylors Bellfield Goldfields Reservoir River SuperpipeGreenvale River Glenelg Rocklands Sugarloaf Lake Reservoir Lal Lal Reservoir To Western Reservoir Reservoir Bairnsdale River Lake Mt River Sugarloaf Glenmaggie Water Whitetowns Swan pipeline Lake Dartmouth Waranga EastUpper GoulburnThomson Great Dividing Range Reservoir Yarra River Yarra Reservoir William Ballarat Reservoir BasinGreenvale Olinda Reservoir Main Channel Macalister Lake Buffalo Glenelg Sugarloaf Lake Melbourne To WesternMelbourneReservoir Bairnsdale River BendigoMoorabool River Lal Lal Reservoir Reservoir Glenmaggie River Geelong Water towns Tarago Reservoir Creek Cardinia Yarra River Thomson Laanecoorie pipeline Reservoir Reservoir Olinda Reservoir Macalister Moorabool River Melbourne Melbourne To Gippsland ThomsonRiver River Geelong Tarago Reservoir Reservoir Cardinia Geelong pipeline Water towns Barwon Reservoir Lake William Hovell Downs Lake To Gippsland ThomsonTraralgon River Water towns Portland Borefield Barwon Geelong Wurdee DownsEppalockBarwon River Traralgon Portland Borefield South East Water Rocklands Boluc Wurdee Barwon River Reservoir Boluc South East Water Reservoir Korumburra Toolondo Channel Korumburra Anglesea Anglesea Lake Borefield