The Federal Government has announced it’ll put a further $3.025 million towards Sunraysia Modernisation Project 2.
Infrastructure Minister Michael McCormack said the money was in addition to the first phase of the Sunraysia Modernisation Project.
“This investment will continue our efforts to improve the Sunraysia region’s water infrastructure and expand irrigated agriculture,” Mr McCormack said.
“We expect this to create up to 30 indirect jobs in the Sunraysia region and generate around $16 million of activity for the Victorian economy – including $10 million in the local region alone.”
The government said that over the next two years, the scheme would be expanded to deliver up to another 25,000 megalitres of extra water, for irrigation agriculture.
That water would be purchased from “elsewhere in the Murray-Darling Basin,” Mr McCormack said.
Sunraysia Modernisation Project 2 was expected to boost water supply to an additional 8,652 hectares of land.
It was expected to support increased production of a range of irrigated crops, including lucerne and oaten hay, almonds and wine and table grapes.
Nationals Mallee MP Andrew Broad said the additional investment would further enhance the region as one of nation’s most important agriculture producers within the Murray-Darling Basin.
“The project will involve construction of an 80 megalitre dam at Merbein West, new channel offtake and gravity pipe connection between Merbein channel and storage and upgrade pipeline termination structures at Merbein West and Red Cliffs,” Mr Broad said.
“It will also include channel modernisation works such as replacement of regulator structures, two kilometres of bank raising works, 5.1 kilometres of channel re-profiling and channel lining.”
The project will be delivered by the Victorian Government in partnership with Lower Murray Water.
The Federal government contribution towards the $6.1 million cost would be matched by LMW.
The Australian Government commitment will be delivered under the National Water Infrastructure Development Fund.