Our water challenge

We are facing considerable water challenges over the next 50 years

Victoria’s climate is becoming increasingly hotter and drier.
Our population is also growing and set to double by 2070 - meaning more people relying on our precious, limited supply of water.
As our population grows, so too does urbanisation – the amount of people in a concentrated area – creating more sewage and stormwater for our system to manage.
We also need to provide enough water for the environment to maintain waterway health and to preserve and protect Traditional Owner values.

The best time to act is the present, while storages are high and we have the benefit of time. We have an opportunity to forward plan so that we have a range of fit-for purpose options ready when needed.
Our findings show that we need to add new water supplies to our existing system within the next 10 years, as well as several additional supply system augmentations over the next 50 years.
Many water supply options take years of planning and investment before they can deliver the water needed. To deliver the water needed in future, we must be prepared. That means taking action now by 'investing in readiness' to complete preparatory works and reduce the lead time often required to bring a supply system augmentation online.
We must continue to make timely and appropriate investments, in a way that respects and protects the environmental, social, economic and cultural values of our community. Investing at the right time is key to ensuring prices remain affordable for our customers.

By 2070, under a high demand and high climate change scenario, we may need to double our water supplies – meaning we’d need to add an average of 12 billion litres of additional supply each year.
Our drying climate means less water is flowing in our rivers and captured in our storages.
While the recent La Nina events saw rainfall at above average levels in Melbourne’s catchments last year, we know with the impact of climate change and extended dry periods, we need to keep storages at healthy levels.
The wetter-than-average conditions in 2021 and 2022, annual desalination orders, and ongoing water efficiency measures have meant our storages are at the strongest position they have been since 1997.
While storages are in a strong position now, an overall trend of warmer and drier conditions is expected over the next 50 years.
Keeping our storages at high levels helps us to manage through future dry conditions and droughts, giving us time to plan and implement system augmentations.
Our analysis tells us that while we have time, we need to act now to be ready for the significant deficits and uncertainty that lie ahead.

Victoria’s climate is becoming increasingly hotter and drier.
Our population is also growing and set to double by 2070 - meaning more people relying on our precious, limited supply of water.
As our population grows, so too does urbanisation – the amount of people in a concentrated area – creating more sewage and stormwater for our system to manage.
We also need to provide enough water for the environment to maintain waterway health and to preserve and protect Traditional Owner values.

The best time to act is the present, while storages are high and we have the benefit of time. We have an opportunity to forward plan so that we have a range of fit-for purpose options ready when needed.
Our findings show that we need to add new water supplies to our existing system within the next 10 years, as well as several additional supply system augmentations over the next 50 years.
Many water supply options take years of planning and investment before they can deliver the water needed. To deliver the water needed in future, we must be prepared. That means taking action now by 'investing in readiness' to complete preparatory works and reduce the lead time often required to bring a supply system augmentation online.
We must continue to make timely and appropriate investments, in a way that respects and protects the environmental, social, economic and cultural values of our community. Investing at the right time is key to ensuring prices remain affordable for our customers.

By 2070, under a high demand and high climate change scenario, we may need to double our water supplies – meaning we’d need to add an average of 12 billion litres of additional supply each year.
Our drying climate means less water is flowing in our rivers and captured in our storages.
While the recent La Nina events saw rainfall at above average levels in Melbourne’s catchments last year, we know with the impact of climate change and extended dry periods, we need to keep storages at healthy levels.
The wetter-than-average conditions in 2021 and 2022, annual desalination orders, and ongoing water efficiency measures have meant our storages are at the strongest position they have been since 1997.
While storages are in a strong position now, an overall trend of warmer and drier conditions is expected over the next 50 years.
Keeping our storages at high levels helps us to manage through future dry conditions and droughts, giving us time to plan and implement system augmentations.
Our analysis tells us that while we have time, we need to act now to be ready for the significant deficits and uncertainty that lie ahead.

Page last updated: 18 Apr 2023, 07:14 PM