The addition of a ten megalitre water storage basin at Omeo has increased the town’s drinking water storage capacity to 15 megalitres – enabling enough water to be harvested and stored during sizeable water flow events to protect the community against prolonged periods of dry weather.
Built close to an existing five megalitre basin, the latest storage is approximately 120 metres long, 45 metres wide and four metres deep. Some 60,000 tonnes of clay were used in the construction of its walls and floor. It is located above the Omeo Water Treatment Plant, which serves more than 300 residential and non-residential properties.
Water is drawn from Butchers Creek and gravity fed a distance of 12 km to the two storages. During periods of high flow, water will fill the basins to ensure there is enough supply available to cover any subsequent lengthy periods when flows in Butchers Creek are insufficient for extraction.
This initiative was delivered as part of East Gippsland Water’s five year, $67 million capital works program, which concluded in June 2013. This program was designed to safeguard the long-term security of water supplies for all customers, regardless of the size of their community.