Increasing access to recycled water quality on the Bellarine

Barwon Water has a goal to recycle 100 percent of the wastewater treated at our water reclamation plants. As part of this goal, we’re maximising the use of recycled water to support agricultural production, tourism and regional prosperity for the Bellarine.

We plan to supply 450 million litres of low salinity, fit-for-purpose recycled water per year to new and existing agricultural and horticultural customers, nearly doubling the amount of recycled water used on the Bellarine.

To deliver this, we’re upgrading the Portarlington Water Reclamation Plant (WRP) on Grassy Point Road to reduce the salinity of the recycled water, and constructing a new 11-kilometre brine pipeline from the Portarlington WRP to our pump station in Clifton Springs. Work is underway and we expect the lower salinity recycled water will commence flowing to customers during the 2026/2027 irrigation period.

Saving precious drinking water

Water is one of our most precious and limited resources. This new infrastructure will help save millions of litres of drinking water every year. By improving recycled water quality, we can deliver more sustainable water supplies to farmers, growers and the wider Bellarine community, reducing the use of drinking water by some of these farms.

This new infrastructure will also deliver certainty for local farmers and businesses, with a secure high-quality water supply irrespective of seasonal conditions.

Further information

We are keen to explore new demand and the feasibility of extensions or connections to the network. If you’re a farmer or grower interested in accessing the recycled water for non-drinking purposes, we’re keen to hear from you.

Please express your interest by emailing info@barwonwater.vic.gov.au

Funding

The project is supported by funding from the Australian and Victorian governments, delivered in partnership with Barwon Water.

What is included in the project?

See the below tabs for more information about the different aspects of the project.

To effectively manage the brine (saltwater waste) from the new treatment plant at the Portarlington Water Reclamation Plant (WRP) on Grassy Point Road, we’re constructing a new 11-kilometre brine pipeline from the Portarlington WRP to our pump station in Clifton Springs. It will then transfer the waste into our existing sewerage network.

The brine pipeline will travel along Coatsworth Road, Scotchmans Road, Panorama Court, High Ridge Drive and Beacon Point Reserve, as shown in the map below.

Timing of works:

• Coatsworth Road (Portarlington Water Reclamation Plant to Queenscliff Road)
  • October to December 2025
• Scotchmans Road
  
  • Late January to June 2026
• Clifton Springs: Panorama Court, High Ridge Drive and Beacon Point Reserve
  • Late January to June 2026

• Work will take place Monday to Friday, between 7 am and 6 pm.
• If Saturday work is required, this will take place between 7 am and 1 pm.

As part of this work, please note:

• Traffic: There’ll be some changes to traffic conditions. Traffic management will be present on site to ensure the safe and efficient movement of pedestrians and vehicles.
• Noise and dust: There may be increased noise and dust. We’ll aim to minimise impacts to residents and businesses.
• Driveways: Some properties will have limited driveway access for one day while we lay the new brine pipeline. Impacted property owners will be notified about the timing of these works.

There will be no interruptions to your water and sewage services as part of these works.

Map: Location of the new brine pipeline

Map: Location of works along Coatsworth Road from October to December 2025

We’re upgrading the Portarlington Water Reclamation Plant (WRP) on Grassy Point Road. The upgrade involves constructing a new treatment plant to produce fit-for-purpose recycled water at a significantly lower salinity level than the existing high salinity Class C water.

This new infrastructure will deliver certainty for local farmers and businesses, with a secure high-quality water supply irrespective of seasonal conditions.

The upgrade supports the Victorian Government’s Central and Gippsland Region Sustainable Water Strategy, which outlines ways to identify and develop a sustainable supply of water in Victoria's regions.

As of September 2025, works are progressing on the upgrade to the Portarlington WRP, with the new building slab, frame and roof complete, and excellent progress being made internally. We’ve also started work on the tank installation and water treatment infrastructure (see photos below).

We’ve extended the supply of Class C recycled water to additional agricultural and horticultural customers, including vineyards along Portarlington Road, from Scotchmans Road to Church Road.

Construction of the new pipeline was completed in April 2022.