FAQs

GWMWater is responsible for maintaining the water meter. We will replace the meter at no cost under normal maintenance conditions. Where there’s no meter, or the meter is inaccessible, we’re responsible up to and including the first stop tap at your property boundary. You’re responsible for the safe custody of the meter and will have to pay for its replacement, should it go missing or is damaged through misuse. You’re also responsible for the pipe beyond the water meter leading into your property.

If there’s no water meter, or the water meter is not situated at the front of your property, such as with units and townhouses, you’re responsible for the pipe (known as the service line) beyond the stop tap, which is located at the property boundary.

Report a fault

GWMWater covers a large part of Victoria. Stretching east from the South Australian border, our coverage extends over 62,000 square kilometres toward the centre of state. See a map of our service area.

All Victorian towns are under Permanent Water Savings Rules when staged water restrictions aren’t in place.

Check what water restrictions are active in your area

You can use your water meter to check for leaks. Simply note and then compare your water meter reading before and after a period of no water use. More advice about checking for a water leak.

Customers connected to the Wimmera or Northern Mallee pipeline

If you're one of our customers connected to the Wimmera or Northern Mallee pipelines, you can also use our Customer Portal, a free online system that allows you to monitor your water and get leak alerts via your smart phone, tablet, laptop or home computer. Read more about Customer Portal.

There’s a number of simple adjustments you can make to your everyday life in order to use water wisely.

Find out more about saving water

You don’t need GWMWater’s permission to fill your pool, as long as you’re abiding by current water restrictions.

Check current water restrictions

No, residential storm water drains are administered by your local council.

If you’re an urban customer, the top row of numbers on your remote water meter shows your accumulative water use in cubic metres/kilolitres. The bottom row of numbers counts up to 999.99 litres, adding a kilolitre to the top row of numbers before clocking over to zero.

For rural customers, the black numbers show the reading in kilolitres and the red number indicate litres.

Find out more about your water meter

We'll take care of any blockages, odours or sewer overflows from the sewer main and connection point. If your inspection point is clear, generally this means the block is coming from your private plumbing and you'll need to contact your plumber.

Contact us to report a fault

If the alarm is going off and the light is flashing, push the small rubber covered button on the right hand side on the cabinet.

This will turn the alarm off.

Wait half hour to an hour, then check again to see if red light has switched off.

If this hasn’t stopped the alarm, contact us to report a fault

To receive a GWMWater drainage plan for your property or a map of the mains surrounding your property, please contact us.

Our lakes and reservoirs are not only sources of water, but also community areas for recreation and relaxation.

Lakes and reservoirs have different restrictions that you need to be aware of.

No, it’s actually illegal. Plumbing is a complex and skilled job that only licensed plumbers are authorised to do.

Unlicensed plumbing works are a health and safety risk, and will likely cause more damage.

Your water bill is calculated depending on how much water you use and any relevant service charges.

Household water bills can include costs for:

• Water consumption

• Water Availability

• Sewerage Availability

Commercial water bills can include costs for:

• Water consumption

• Water Availability

• Sewerage Availability

• Fire Service Charge

• Trade Waste Charge

Find out more about paying your bill

You can receive a concession on your water bill if you meet the eligibility requirements (such as holding a certain concession card).

You will also need to be either:

• the owner of a property and it’s your primary place of residence; or

• a tenant

Find out more about concessions and grants

Eligible concessions include a Centrelink Health Care Card, Pensioner Card and Department of Veterans Affairs Gold Card.

The Commonwealth Seniors Health Card isn’t eligible.

Find out more about concessions and grants

We do quarterly concession verifications with Centrelink. If there’s an issue with your concession verification, we won’t credit a concession to your account.

Your concession may not have verified because:

• your postal address isn’t the same as your residential address; or

• you weren’t eligible for a concession during the billing period

Contact us if you need to update your details or need further assistance.

We understand that sometimes life gets tricky and you might be struggling with your water bills. If you’re struggling, get it touch with us as soon as possible and we can help you with initiatives such as:

• Payment arrangements

• Applying for concessions

• GWMWater Customer Support Program

• Utility Relief Grant Scheme

• Rebate Scheme

Find out more about concessions and grants or call us for a confidential discussion on 1300 659 961.

You can pay your bill in a few ways:

• BPAY - Biller Code 79855

• Direct Debit Payment by Centrelink (Centrepay)

• Credit card via POSTbillpay online or over the phone

• Payment in person at any Australia Post office or our Horsham office

• Via mail to PO BOX 481, Horsham, 3402

More about paying your bill

You’ll receive a reminder notice if you don’t set up your payment arrangement through GWMWater.

Make sure you inform us of any other payment arrangements you’ve set up.

For example, if you’ve set up an arrangement through Centrelink, you need to contact us to let us know about the amount and frequency of your payments.

Water is an essential service and we won’t disconnect your water for non-payment.

However, we may take legal action or restrict your water supply to two litres per minute due to non-payment under certain circumstances.

If you’re having trouble with your water bill, contact us on 1300 659 961. We can help you work out a solution with a confidential discussion.

If you think your water bill is unusually high, consider the following:

Season

We tend to use more water in the warmer months so remember to compare your water use to the same time last year, rather than to your last bill.

Appliances and watering

If you’re using an appliance more often it will increase your usage. Check your appliance settings and see if there’s a water saving mode. Automated watering systems and evaporative cooling can also use a lot of water, so check your settings.

Find out more about saving water

Water leaks

You may have an undetected leak which is causing your water use to rise. Toilet leaks are especially common.

How to check for leaks

Misread water meter

If your water meter was read incorrectly it will affect how much water use we’ve billed you for. If you think we’ve misread your meter, contact us to submit your correct meter reading.

How to read your water meter

Yes.

Urban accounts have six zeros in front of the reference number.

Rural accounts have 12 zeros in front.

Yes, you can pay over the phone with a credit card through POSTbillpay.

Call 13 18 16 and follow the prompts.

More bill payment options

Make sure you’re not using your POSTbillpay reference number instead of your BPAY number.

To use BPAY, quote the biller code and reference number located on the back of your bill at the bottom of your account.

The POSTbillpay reference number is for credit card payments and is the number located on the bottom right hand corner of your account.

More bill payment options

Yes. Owners of tenanted properties remain liable for Service Availability Charges for both water and sewerage services.

You can arrange for your tenant to receive bills for water usage if there’s a separate water meter on their property.

Find out more about tenant and landlord responsibilities

You might be being billed for water usage because:

We are unaware there’s a tenant and don’t have their details

If you have the details of the tenant (full name, date of birth and contact number) you can notify us that they’ve moved in. The tenant can also get in touch with us.

Your property has a shared meter

If you’re a landlord of a property that shares a meter (such as a block of units or apartments), you will be billed for its water use. On your bill, the water use will be shown as a percentage of the total water used by all residents on the property.

Find out more about tenant and landlord responsibilities

If you’re in a property with its own water meter, your lease determines if you’re responsible for paying for the water usage. Water usage billing is determined by the reading on the property's water meter.

If you’re renting a premise where you share a water meter with another property, the usage amount is the responsibility of your landlord.

Find out more about tenant and landlord responsibilities

Your BPAY reference number is your account number. This is located on the front page of your account in the top left hand corner.

Developments such as flats, units and town houses, which share a single water meter, are subject to a service availability tariff on each dwelling.

A single water meter usage account will be generated and divided equally amongst owners, unless the body corporate authorises another division of payment and sends it directly to the respective units.

Find out more about tenant and landlord responsibilities

You can disconnect your water, however under the Water Act 1989 if there’s a building on the piece of land you’ll continue to receive the same Service Availability Charges.

If the building is declared derelict or demolished, the Service Availability Charges may reduce after disconnection.

You will need to apply to disconnect or connect to our water and wastewater services.

Generally, customers will only disconnect their services if the property is a vacant block of land that is not being used.

Once we have approved your application, we’ll send you written notification and an invoice for the costs. Your plumber will then consult with us to undertake the works.

Connect to our services

If water and sewerage is available for connection to the block, you’ll need to pay for a Service Availability Charge for each service.

By law, vacant land situated within an urban district in a growth town is deemed to be a serviced property therefore chargeable.

The water won’t be disconnected. The Service Availability Charges will remain on the bill whether or not water is being used and these charges are the owner’s responsibility.

You need to organise for a meter reading to be taken on the day you move in to ensure you’re only billed for the water usage from after you move in.

Your real estate agent may have already contacted us on your behalf. If not, you should request a meter reading at least two working days before you move in by contacting us or submitting an online request.

Submit an online request

You need to organise for a meter reading to be taken on the day you move out to ensure you’re not billed for water usage from after you vacate.

You should request a meter reading at least two working days before you move out by submitting an online request or by contacting us.

Be sure to provide us with your forwarding address and arrange for a meter reading at your new property if you’re moving to another GWMWater serviced property.

Submit an online request

It’s your responsibility as the tenant to notify us when you move out.

If you forget, you’re liable for any water consumption used at the property after you’ve moved out.

If you’re purchasing a property and going through a solicitor or conveyancer, you don’t need to notify us.

We require a legal Title to change the ownership of a property. If you have a solicitor or conveyancer, they will send this to us with your details via a Notice of Acquisition after settlement.

Make sure your mailing address is up to date.

The normal procedure is that your solicitor will advise us.

Your solicitor or conveyancer may organise for a final reading to be done on your meter prior to settlement.

After settlement they will notify us of the sale via a notice of disposition and pay any outstanding water accounts owing up to the day you sold.

If you have a current outstanding water bill owing prior to settlement you do not need to pay it. Contact us and a note will be placed on your account to stop a reminder/warning notice from being sent.

Make sure your mailing address is up to date.

Wildlife ponds scheme

GWMWater has implemented a scheme to provide a rebate for 17 kL of water to landholders who construct and register a wildlife pond.

Contact us for more information

The Victorian Government offers a rebate of up to $260 per annum on the fixed water and wastewater service availability charges of eligible customers in urban areas.

Download the application form from Concessions and grants.

The Victorian Government offers a rebate of up to $260 per annum on fixed Service Availability Charges for eligible community service organisations.

Please contact us for more information and to confirm your eligibility for the rebate.

Our Recreation Contribution Charge allows eligible urban and rural sporting and service clubs to pay a discounted rate for water.

The following tariffs apply for eligible clubs:

• Consumption up to 5 ML per annum – 40% discount

• Consumption between 5 and 10 ML per annum – 25% discount

To receive the discounted rates, clubs must be receiving the State Revenue Office Water and Sewerage Rebate.

Find out more and download the application form

If you’ve had a leak on your property, please contact us to see if you’re eligible to receive an undetected leak rebate.

This rebate is available to both urban and rural customers providing certain criteria has been met.