Status

Referral decision made
Referral number:

Background

Greater Western Water is constructing the Western Irrigation Network (WIN) Scheme, which involves six interrelated project components to connect the Melton, Bacchus Marsh and Sunbury Recycled Water Plants (RWP), and to distribute class C recycled water to the Parwan Balliang Irrigation District (PBID).

The overall construction footprint for the WIN scheme is approximately 178ha within the local government areas of Melton City Council, Hume City Council, City of Greater Geelong and Moorabool Shire Council.

The WIN scheme includes the following components:

  • a 13.5 km bi-directional subsurface recycled water pipeline from Melton RWP to Bacchus Marsh RWP interconnector pipeline.
  • Bacchus Marsh RWP pump station
  • PBID Foundation Recycled Water Irrigation Areas - on-farm infrastructure and works, including irrigation pipelines and centre pivot irrigators, to distribute recycled water from property offtakes along the PBID supply network pipeline for irrigation of mostly existing broadacre cropping land
  • one gigalitre Parwan recycled water storage
  • an approximately 30 km subsurface recycled water pipeline Sunbury RWP to Melton RWP interconnector pipeline
  • PBID supply network - a 14 km subsurface pipeline with offtakes to on-farm irrigation infrastructure, and an associated pump station and two megalitre balance tank designed to connect to the Melton to Bacchus Marsh interconnector pipeline.

Minister's decision on referral

On 15 August 2021, the Victorian Minister for Planning decided under the EE Act that an environment effects statement (EES) is not required for this project, subject to conditions being met to assess and manage specific impacts. The Minister’s decisions require GWW to prepare an environment report/s in consultation with the Victorian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) and the relevant councils to the satisfaction of the Minister. The decision stated that the environment report may be prepared in stages.

Greater Western Water submitted a referral for Stage 1 of the PBID Foundation Recycled Water Irrigation Areas component of the WIN scheme under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). On 6 November 2023, the Commonwealth Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water determined the project is a ‘controlled action’ requiring assessment and approval under the EPBC Act.

Therefore the assessment of the environment report for Stage 1 of the PBID Foundation Recycled Water Irrigation Areas component of the WIN scheme is being undertaken as an accredited assessment process, as set out in the bilateral agreement between the Australian and Victorian governments under the EPBC Act. It will assess the relevant matters of national environmental significance identified in the Commonwealth decision that the project is a 'controlled action'.

Environment report exhibition

The environment report for Stage 1 of the PBID Foundation Recycled Water Irrigation Areas component of the WIN scheme will be on public exhibition between Wednesday 13 August 2025 and 11.59pm on Tuesday 26 August 2025.

You can view the environment report at Greater Western Water’s Parwan-Balliang Irrigation District (PBID) Foundation Recycled Water Irrigation Areas webpage, and Engage Victoria.

You can view related documents for the Western Irrigation Network project on Greater Western Water’s Western Irrigation Network website.

Submissions

Submissions can be submitted through the Engage Victoria platform.

Make a submission

EES Referral documents

More information

If you have any questions or feedback, please get in touch via the contact details below.

Proposed Western Irrigation Network Project queries:

Greater Western Water
☎ Phone: (03) 9313 8116
✉ Email: WIN@gww.com.au

EES and Environment Report assessment process queries:

Impact Assessment Unit
☎ Phone: (03) 8622 7633
✉ Email: environment.assessment@transport.vic.gov.au.

Page last updated: 13/08/25