THE Victorian Opposition has backflipped on its stance against taking water from the north-south pipeline.

Opposition leader Ted Baillieu said this week that if elected in 2010, the Coalition would use the pipeline if Melbourne's water supply hit crisis levels.

The stance reversed the position of Liberals urban water spokeswoman Louise Asher, who last week said the coalition would turn off the $750 million pipeline if elected.

Ms Asher said the Coalition would "not take water from drought-stressed communities", after the pipeline was completed.

"A Coalition will not take water from that pipeline," Ms Asher said.

However, yesterday Ms Asher said water from the pipe might be needed in the summer of 2010.

Coalition rural water spokesman Peter Walsh said he was still "categorically opposed" to the 75-gigalitre pipe being built.

"But if the pipe is built, it should only be for critical needs," he said.

Mr Walsh said the policy backflip had not caused a rift between the Coalition partners.

"Most definitely not," Mr Walsh said.

Water Minister Tim Holding said the announcement was a "humiliating backflip from Ted Baillieu and the Liberal Party, with its policy in disarray".

Mr Holding earlier said the Liberals had failed to grasp the seriousness of Melbourne's water shortage.

"If the Liberal Party was in government again, Melbourne would be at real risk of running out of water," he said.

In May, Nationals leader Peter Ryan refused to be drawn on decommissioning the pipe.

"I will not believe that the pipeline will ever be built, and therefore any commentary about its future is utterly hypothetical," he said.

Victorian Farmers Federation president Simon Ramsay said Ms Asher's announcement last week had put the Liberal Party in "an awkward position".

"Even though we're totally opposed to the pipe, if it does go ahead, Melbourne's water security is at risk and the desalination plant is not on line and there are savings from the irrigation upgrades, then obviously Melbourne ratepayers will be looking for some return on their investment," Mr Ramsay said.

Plug the Pipe spokesman Ken Pattison said the group was disappointed with the Opposition's announcement.

"But we understand the pressure of having a policy that if Melbourne was out of water, they couldn't use the pipe," Mr Pattison said.