DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES
Surface Water Resources
 Werribee Plains Region - Rivers, Creeks & Lakes | This Rivers, Creeks and Lakes map is intended to broadly identify major hydrological features (including water storages) throughout the region. The map was derived from the HYDRO500 and TEMP500 layers of the Department of Primary Industries Corporate Geospatial Data Library. Original data came from Division of Survey and Mapping's VICBASE. This is a 1983 Digital Map of Victoria, which was formed using the AUSLIG 1:250 000 as its base control. |
Water Storages
Southern Rural Water (SRW) (external link) operates three of the major storages in the Werribee Plains region. These are Pykes Creek, Merrimu, and Melton Reservoirs. Information on these reservoirs is provided below - sourced from the Southern Rural Water website. Further information on these reservoirs can be found in the Headworks section of the SRW website (external link).
The Melton dam (officially known as Exford Weir) and reservoir is located on the Werribee River south of Melton. It is the main regulation storage for the Werribee Irrigation District (WID) and forms part of a three stage storage system in the Werribee basin by which, if necessary, water in Pykes Creek and Merrimu storages can be released for storage at Melton prior to distribution to the WID. Releases from Melton Reservoir flow into the downstream Werribee River and irrigation supplies are then diverted into the WID via a weir located north of the Werribee township. Merrimu dam and lake are located 50 km from Melbourne on the Coimadai Creek, northeast of Bacchus Marsh. The first stage of the reservoir was completed in 1969. In 1987 the embankment was raised by eight metres, increasing the storage capacity to its current 35 000 ML. There is provision for a future third stage if required. The Werribee River Basin has an annual flow averaging approximately 92 500 ML, coming mainly from the forested hills north and west of Bacchus Marsh. Before the construction of Lake Merrimu, only 45% of this flow could be stored in Pykes Creek and Melton Reservoirs. Lake Merrimu safeguards supplies by providing a reserve storage on Coimadai Creek, a tributary of the Werribee River upstream of Melton Reservoir. In addition, it supplies water for the expanding urban and industrial needs around Werribee, Bacchus Marsh and Melton through harvesting of bulk supply water on behalf of Western Water.
The Pykes Creek dam was first built in 1911 and then enlarged in 1930. It is located on a tributary of the Werribee River, 72 km west of Melbourne on the Western Highway and impounds a storage with a capacity of just under 24 000 ML. Along with Melton Reservoir and Lake Merrimu, it supplies irrigation water for the Bacchus Marsh (BMID) and Werribee (WID) Irrigation Districts. The Western Highway crosses the site by an embankment constructed below the dam.
© The State of Victoria, 1996 - 2008.
This document was last reviewed on 24/10/2008