Waranga Basin Pumping
Goulburn-Murray Water constructed two temporary pumping stations on Waranga Basin to access 93,000 megalitres of dead storage water during the 2006/07 irrigation season, underwriting 7% of the Goulburn System allocation.
The pumping project was a proactive initiative to access water below Waranga Basin’s outlets that can not be released by gravity when the storage is at a low level. The Victorian Government supported this proactive initiative by meeting the $2.5 million project cost.
Goulburn-Murray Water did all it could during the season to provide as much water as possible for its customers, and worked very closely with Water Services Committees, industry and the State Government before deciding to pump the Basin.
Two pump stations were required to pump up to 2,250 megalitres a day, making this the largest pumping operation in Victoria. The pumping station on the Major Outlet can deliver 1800 ML/d through 12 pumps while the pumping station on the Minor Outlet can deliver 450 ML/d through three pumps. The portable diesel powered generators supplying power to the electric motor driven pumps can produce sufficient power to supply a town of approximately 4000 people.
Waranga Basin supplies water to irrigators along the Waranga Western Channel and supports town and irrigation-based industries, such as dairy and horticulture, as far west as Boort. It also supplies irrigators in the Central Goulburn Irrigation Area via the Minor Outlet.
The water pumped from the Basin supplied drought-affected Goulburn System farmers, whose allocation was at an historic low due to continuing severe drought conditions. Waranga Basin has been pumped twice before, in 1926 and 2003, during times of extreme drought.
Waranga Basin Pumping 2007/2008
Early allocation announcements on on the Goulburn System factor in the pumping of 86,000ML from Waranga Basin throughout the 2007/2008 season. The initiative received overwhelming support at an industry forum held in August. Government have since agreed to cover the costs associated with pumping Waranga Basin in early 2008 and the planning stage of this project is currently underway.
