WATER Minister Peter Walsh has announced funding of just under $2 million through the Regional Growth Fund for a reliable water supply to support wineries in the Landsborough district.
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There are four wineries with six vineyards in the area.
During a visit to the district on Wednesday, he also opened Great Western’s new sewerage scheme.
Mr Walsh said an existing wastewater treatment plant owned by Seppelt winery had been modified to handle the town’s waste.
“This is an innovative solution to use existing infrastructure to support the wider town’s sewerage needs, and is an improvement on the previous septic tank system,” he said.
“The sewerage scheme will overcome any environmental or health issues that can arise from existing septic tanks, absorption trenches and grey water systems.”
Work on the scheme was completed in October last year and 27 property owners have applied to connect.
Accompanying Mr Walsh at the opening was National Party candidate for Ripon Scott Turner.
“This is a great project for Great Western that will improve the liveability of the area and also promote further development,” Mr Turner said.
Future residential development has been flagged for central areas of the town where connections to the scheme are available.
Northern Grampians Shire Council has commissioned Ballarat consultants SED Advisory to produce a Great Western Future Plan.
A version of the plan produced earlier this month suggested relocation of the central football oval to a new sporting hub near the town’s racecourse.
Great Western Football Netball Club president Rod Matheson said it would be a shame to lose the intimate ground, which he estimated had been there before the First World War.
“Personally I don’t like the idea,” he said.
“The ground is a unique little ground where it is.”
He admitted that better facilities as a result of a new development might provide an incentive to move.
“There are things to think of in the future and perhaps if we did move we might able to have a better grandstand and better viewing of the ground,” he said.
“It’s a nice little ground where it is – times change I know – but sometimes you don’t have to change for the sake of change.”
Elsewhere in the Wimmera, GWMWater is working on a sewerage scheme for Rupanyup.
The scheme is due to be completed by June, and after that time landowners will have two years to connect.
