Colac’s water is sourced from the Olangolah and West Gellibrand reservoirs, situated in protected, forested catchments in the Otway Ranges.
Water travels 25 kilometres to a service basin at the Colac water treatment plant in Elliminyt where it is filtered, disinfected and fluoridated, before being distributed to customers via a network of pipes, tanks and covered basins.
If Colac’s water supply is low, it can be boosted with a connection to the greater Geelong system, via the Wurdee Boluc channel.
Nearby towns
The townships of Birregurra, Forrest and Gellibrand are not supplied by the Colac system.
- Birregurra: Despite being closer to Colac, Birregurra’s water is supplied from the West Barwon Reservoir, which also services greater Geelong. Water is diverted from the Wurdee Boluc inlet channel, and is filtered and disinfected at a local treatment plant.
- Forrest: The rural township of Forrest is also supplied with water directly from the nearby West Barwon Reservoir. Forrest’s water is filtered and disinfected at a small dedicated treatment plant.
- Gellibrand: Gellibrand’s water is pumped from Lardner Creek to a storage tank and treatment plant where it is filtered and disinfected. Following this, water is piped to a clear water storage, where it is then gravity-fed to the township.
