Barwon Water operates the Anglesea borefield under a bulk entitlement issued by the Victorian Government. The bulk entitlement stipulates the volume of water Barwon Water is able to extract.

Our bulk entitlement includes environmental triggers and an extensive monitoring and assessment program designed to protect groundwater dependent ecosystems.

A review of the bulk entitlement and Monitoring and Assessment Program (MAP) is due to the Minister for Water in 2024 – five years from the date that groundwater extraction recommenced.

What’s involved?

As part of the review, we will undertake a series of technical assessments. This will include reviewing all data we have collected as part of our MAP - groundwater level and quality, surface water level, flow and quality, vegetation and ecological, as well as acid sulfate soil investigation outcomes. We will also conduct a groundwater pumping test. We will commence the pumping test this summer, and this will run for a period of 6 months.

Conducting the pumping test will help ensure a robust review and confirm how much water we can continue to sustainably take into the future. Our priority is to protect the environment whilst providing high quality, affordable drinking water.

We are undertaking our groundwater pumping test to coincide with Alcoa’s pumping test. This provides the opportunity to better inform our bulk entitlement review and monitoring plan for the borefield.

Our pumping test will include all seven bores that Barwon Water has access to. This includes the two northern bores that we did not operate as part of using the Anglesea borefield in 2019/20. Using all available bores – as well as pumping concurrently with Alcoa – will ensure our groundwater model and forecasts are as robust as possible.

Why do we need a review?

The review is to inform about:

• the long-term sustainability of groundwater resources in the area
• protecting the environmental values and health of groundwater dependent ecosystems
• improving resource management arrangements under the bulk entitlement.

We have 11 years of environmental monitoring data, and a comprehensive Monitoring and Assessment Program. However, the climate is changing and the review will allow us to check if anything in our management plan for the borefield needs to shift to cater to future climate scenarios. This will ensure we can continue to operate the borefield in a careful and considered way, so that we don’t have an adverse impact on groundwater dependent ecosystems.

The review is also a requirement set by the Victorian Government.

To learn more, please view the Bulk entitlement review 2024 overview.

Community engagement

We are committed to sharing information with the community, and this continues even if the borefield is not in use.

We share updates via our dedicated Anglesea borefield web page, media releases, social media and community eNewsletters.

Community members can also contact us any time via 1300 656 007 or info@barwonwater.vic.gov.au