Who does it supply?
The Otway system is our largest and most complex system, providing two-thirds of all our water needs. It supplies our customers in:
- Allansford
- Camperdown
- Cobden
- Derrinallum
- Glenormiston
- Koroit
- Lismore
- Mortlake
- Noorat
- Purnim
- Simpson
- Terang
- Warrnambool.
The system also supplies non-drinking water to nearly 900 rural customers.
Where does the water come from?
The water flows by gravity from the Otways streams, or is pumped from the Gellibrand River. It’s then treated and supplied to residences, business and industries.
How is the water moved and stored?
Although it only has a small headworks catchment area, the high rainfall in the Otways generates significant run-off. Instead of using a dam, we divert water into the North Otway pipeline using small concrete weirs at East Arkins, West Arkins and First Creeks.
The North Otway Pump Station also pumps water from the Gellibrand River to provide a consistent supply.
Storages are strategically located along the pipeline at Cobden, Donalds Hill (Camperdown), Ewens Hill (Cobrico), Tank Hill (Panmure), and Dales Road and Brierly Basin (Warrnambool).
The storages are drawn on in summer when supply from the headworks is insufficient to meet high demand, and to reduce pumping costs. The storages are then refilled during winter when the flow in the catchment is high.
The South Otway pipeline supplies water to Warrnambool, reducing reliance on the North Otway pipeline, and increasing the security of the whole system.
Water is pumped from the Gellibrand River, upstream of the junction with Kennedys Creek, to a storage basin at Plantation Road, east of Port Campbell. It’s then delivered by gravity to Warrnambool.
Today, we supplement this system using groundwater bores at Albert Park in Warrnambool. The Warrnambool Roof Water Harvesting System also captures excess rainfall from roofs in the city’s north-eastern growth corridor, the Albert Park precinct and the Horne Road industrial estate.
A contingency bore at Curdievale provides extra supply security.
