About the area
Melbourne Water operates a common or wholesale water supply system for the greater Melbourne metropolitan area as well as for connected regional water authorities.
Water is harvested from the Bunyip, Yarra, Thomson and Goulburn basins. The supply system draws from several on-stream storages and includes 4 significant off-stream storages: the Silvan, Cardinia, Sugarloaf and Greenvale reservoirs.
Melbourne Water supplies the 3 Melbourne retail water corporations: South East Water, Yarra Valley Water and Greater Western Water. It also supplies the bulk entitlement holders in the Greater Yarra system – Thomson River Pool: Greater Western Water, South East Water, Yarra Valley Water, Barwon Water, South Gippsland Water, and Westernport Water.
Most of Melbourne Water’s inflows come from protected catchments in the Yarra, Bunyip and Thomson basins, and minimal treatment (chlorination) is required. However, about 20% comes from unprotected catchments, and this water is fully treated by treatment plants at the Sugarloaf, Tarago and Yan Yean reservoirs.
More information on the water corporation can be found at Melbourne
2022-23 overview
Wastewater recycled at treatment plants
9% of wastewater was recycled (36,501 ML of 384,241 ML), similar to 11% in 2021-22.
Water deliveries
Table 1: Common system water balance, Melbourne Water
Recycled water
Water recycled at wastewater treatment plants can be used to supplement water available in river basins. Table 2 lists the wastewater treatment plants managed by Melbourne Water. Water discharged to the environment from treatment plants is included as an inflow to the water balance for each of the river basins.
More information can be found in How we account for water supply.
