projects to boost the lake’s water levels.

Premier John Brumby turned on the tap for the 800-metre

pipeline less than a week after another pipe from the Gong Gong Reservoir was switched off.

The lake received 220 million litres of water from the reservoir ahead of safety works at the dam.

Mr Brumby said the new pipeline would result in 1700 million litres of water from the Ballarat West bore at a rate of five million litres a day.

He predicted the lake would fill rapidly with the wet weather set to continue and heavy rain forecast for the weekend.

The opening of the new pipeline came after Ballarat experienced its wettest August in 101 years.

The $1.3 million pipeline is one of several water sources,

apart from rainfall, for Lake Wendouree.

Ballarat City Council executive manager sustainability, Ian

Rossiter, said the new pipeline was welcome even though the council was using more than $2.3 million in

federal funding to boost the lake’s water stocks.

The council has several projects under way to increase the lake’s water levels, including storm water diversions

and the Redan Wetlands project.

Mr Rossiter said 100 millimetres of rainfall resulted in a 200 millimetre increase in the lake’s water levels.