The Wimmera Mallee Pipeline was officially opened by Victorian Premier John Brumby in April 2010.

The pipeline is one of Australia's most significant water-saving projects.

The $688 million project involved building almost 8,800 kilometres of reticulated pipeline to replace 17,000 kilometres of inefficient open channels, saving around 103 billion litres of water a year.

The pipeline supplies stock and domestic water to approximately 9,000 farms and 34 townships across a region that covers almost 10 per cent of Victoria, from the Grampians to the Murray River. It has provided a sustainable water supply system to meet the needs of the Wimmera Mallee region for the long term.

The old, open channel system was unsustainable - more than 80 per cent of water was wasted through seepage and evaporation. Of up to 120 billion litres of water released from storages in the Grampians each year, only 17 billion litres of water reached customers on farms and in towns.

The project was undertaken in a partnership between the Victorian Government, the Federal Government and Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water Corporation, on behalf of the regional community. The Victorian Government contributed $266 million to the project.

The project will help drive growth in the region and provide a sustainable future for the regional community through:

• Provision of a reliable source of high-quality water to farms, towns and businesses, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• 83 billion litres of water a year to the region’s river systems including the Wimmera River and the Murray River system as environmental flows.
• 20 billion litres of additional growth water for regional economic development including 2 billion litres which will service townships around Hamilton and surrounding towns.
• Returning water savings to nominated recreational lakes and other water bodies in the region with high conservation value.
• Allocating water savings for urban, rural and commercial growth opportunities, such as on-farm diversification and new industry.

The Wimmera Mallee Pipeline Project was completed in April 2010, six years ahead of schedule.  The pipeline is an important part of the Victorian Water Grid, a network of pipes, channels and rivers that allow water to move within Victoria to where it is needed the most.

For further information, visit the project website www.pipingit.com.au.