Since then two major projects have been in the pipeline to return water to the iconic lake.

However, under these projects Lake Wendouree

may not be full until 2014.

As far back as January 2006, the State Government

announced it would contribute more than $2 million to a

multi-million dollar project that would see treated waste water and stormwater diverted into the lake.

Under the plan, 600 megalitres of treated waste water from the Ballarat North Treatment Plant and up to

250 megalitres of stormwater from Paul’s Wetland would be diverted into the lake annually.

When the project was announced, it was expected to be completed by 2008.

Another plan to refill Lake Wendouree was the $1 million project to harvest stormwater from the Redan Wetlands.

The first phase of the project to pipe water to the lake began last month.

The new pipeline, funded by the City of Ballarat and the State Government Regional Development Infrastructure

Fund, was expected to take three months to complete.

Phase one of the project is expected to be up-and-running by April next year to deliver autumn rainfall to the

lake.

However, it is not expected to be fully operation until 2013.