Southern Grampians Shire is partnering with West Wimmera and local farmers to establish a dependable water resource for farmers to plan for a more diversified rural economy. The communities of the West Grampians Region agree that a rural water pipeline, providing access to water 24 hours a day, seven days a week, is essential for the long-term viability of the region. This would provide secure water to around 380,000 hectares of productive agricultural land - approximately 700 rural enterprises. Additionally, this pipeline will create greater levels of regional resilience, reducing environmental pressure on stressed catchments, enhance fire-fighting capacity and provide value adding opportunities that will spread across state borders and benefit the national agricultural industry and the nation that it supports.
This infrastructure project will link a series of what are currently low-security, stand-alone water supply systems for separate townships with the more extensive Wimmera Mallee Pipeline system.
The opportunity this provides to the agricultural industry alone has the potential to generate an additional $284m (in present value) economic benefit over 25 years.
Added to the agricultural benefit, this stimulus will boost the regional amenity and attract visitors, as well as security for water-based events which give an injection of much needed tourism dollars. The investment is expected to create 81 long-term jobs (directly resulting from the project with many hundreds more in-directly supported in the process) in the West Grampians and support new investors who will have greater confidence to intensify, expand or diversify into higher value crops such as horticulture.