Helping secure water supplies for Gisborne

Sun 20 March 2011

Horticultural businesses in Gisborne will receive a secure supply of water to irrigate high value crops including cherries, grape vines and olives under a new recycled water scheme.

The Victorian Government is providing $1.27 million to Western Water towards the Gisborne Recycled Water Scheme project (Gisborne GRoWS). The scheme will deliver a guaranteed supply of up to 250 megalitres of Class B recycled water to the horticultural precinct in Gisborne South and will encourage business growth, diversification and new employment opportunities.

The project involved the design and construction of a new pipeline, upgrades to existing pipelines, a new booster pump station, and an upgrade to an existing pump station to cater for additional flow demands.

After a prolonged period of low rainfall, businesses in Gisborne South resorted to expensive measures such as sourcing water from saline groundwater bores and trucking recycled water. The Gisborne GRoWS project will provide the security of a constant water supply to existing businesses.

It will also attract new business growth to the region, and position Gisborne South as a regional food bowl with further employment and tourism opportunities.

Western Water has provided $2.722 million while local industry and the community has contributed a further $278,000 towards the total cost of the project, which was due to be completed in November 2012.

Gisborne GRoWS will retain jobs, as well as create new jobs for the participating businesses, and would also return environmental flows of around 97 megalitres of water to Jacksons Creek each year.

The completed recycling project will create enormous opportunities for Gisborne South’s future development as a regional food bowl, including reduced transport and energy costs due the close proximity to Melbourne markets.