Water Minister defends order from desalination plant

The Water Minister says Victoria could have been on its way towards water restrictions if a decision to turn on the desalination plant wasn’t made.

The Victorian government made its first order from the plant on Sunday after significant drops in water storages.

Water levels dropped to 63.7% over the weekend.

The order is set to add an annual charge of $12 to water bills.

But Minister Lisa Neville told Neil Mitchell implementing water restrictions also comes at a cost.

‘There’s a cost, both in enforcement but also to the economy and to people’s liveability,’ Ms Neville said.

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