Account charges explained - Residential water pricing
Yarra Valley Water provides water and sewerage services to over 1.6 million people living and working in Melbourne's northern and eastern suburbs. The following is an explanation of our charges for the provision of these services.
The charges reflect the present cost of providing such services, and are also an important source of revenue for investment in the infrastructure, which supports them.
Customers connected to water and sewer pay:
Fixed service charges for the provision of water and sewerage services.
Usage charges based on the volume of water and sewage that you use as measured by your property meter.
Other charges - the Waterways and Drainage Charge / Waterways Charge and Parks Charge are collected on behalf of other authorities.
View the Account Charges (PDF 399KB) applicable from 1 July 2009.
It is important to not only understand your account charges, but also recognise your water consumption. Click here to follow simple steps on how to determine why you are using the volume of water as shown on your account.
Wallan pricing
All Wallan customers are now charged at the same rate for sewerage and water as other customers in the Yarra Valley Water service area.
Fixed service charges
The fixed service charges for residential customers are:
These charges are billed quarterly along with your water usage charges.
Usage charges
Usage charges consist of two separate charges - Water Usage and Sewage Disposal. They are charges for how much water you use and how much sewage you dispose of.
Water usage - the block tariff system
In line with Our Water Our Future, the State Government's action plan to secure our water supplies for the next 50 years, Yarra Valley Water uses a three tier block tariff to encourage customers to become more water efficient. The word block used here relates to the pricing tariffs applied to your water use, it has nothing to do with actual property or house block.
An example of how this works:
If you use less than 440 litres per day you will pay $1.2532 per kilolitre (1,000 litres) on that amount of water.
If you use over 441 litres per day you will move up into the next block of pricing and will pay $1.4702 per kilolitre over 441 litres until you reach 880 litres a day.
Water use beyond 881 litres per day will be billed at $2.1721 per kilolitre. The diagram below also illustrates this block tariff system.
You can see that the more water you use, the more expensive the water becomes. There are many simple and very effective ways to save water click here to visit the saving water page.
Block tariffs are seen as the fairest and most effective way to price water to encourage conservation, while recognising the need to provide water for essential domestic use at an affordable price.
The amount of water that you use is calculated by reading your meter. This occurs approximately every three months.
| 1 |
0 - 440 |
$1.2532 per kilolitre |
| 2 |
441 - 880 |
$1.4702 per kilolitre |
| 3 |
More than 881+ |
$2.1721 per kilolitre |
Sewage Disposal Charge
Sewage is much more than what gets flushed down the toilet. It includes everything that goes down the kitchen, laundry and bathroom sinks as well as trade waste from industry.
The residential sewage disposal charge is $1.5126 per kilolitre. The charge is for the estimated volume of sewage that is disposed into the sewerage system.
What does the Sewage Disposal Charge cover?
The sewage disposal charge covers the transport, treatmeant and disposal of sewage, which is an extensive and costly process. Once sewage reaches a treatment plant, any waste products other than domestice sewage such as grease or oils must be separated.
These waste products must be pumped out and relocated to a registered waste disposal site. The remaining sewage is treated biologically, and then filtered over a bed of sand or stones, then finally disinfected using ultra-violet light.
Why not physically meter the volume of sewage discharged?
It is technically difficult to meter the volume of sewage discharged, and it is also very expensive. Therefore we estimate the volume based on the amount of water supplied to your property as measured by your water meter, minus a percentage estimated for water used outside.
Waterways and Drainage Charge
Melbourne Water is responsible for the management of waterways, drainage and floodplains.
Yarra Valley Water bills customers for this charge on behalf of Melbourne Water.
Both charges are levied on property owners and the funds are used to protect and improve our catchments and to upgrade the drainage infrastructure.
Catchments are geographic areas that drain rainwater run-off from land into a river or stream. Eventually, these drain into the ocean, or, in the case of Melbourne, into Port Phillip Bay or Western Port.
No matter where a property is located, the run-off from its surfaces inevitably ends up in the drainage system and our rivers and creeks.
Land development, such as clearing properties and constructing houses, roads and other impervious surfaces, alters the stormwater run-off within an area. This, in turn, puts added pressure on drains and waterways to cope with increased flows over shorter periods of time and can further lead to erosion and flooding problems. In addition, increases in litter, chemical, nutrient and sediment loads in waterways can be attributed to development within a catchment.
Therefore, all properties in the catchment pay a contribution towards the maintenance of this system, which is the fairest approach given that everyone in the catchment benefits.
The Waterways and Drainage Charge / Waterways Charge is not for supplying drainage services to individual properties. This is typically a local council or landowner responsibility.
The revenue is used to protect and improve our rivers, creeks and bays. Major projects include:
- the construction of wetlands to improve the health of Port Phillip Bay
- riverbank re-vegetation
- improving habitat for native fish, platypus and frogs
- managing and improving larger, regional drainage infrastructure
- flood protection including flood mapping and reducing flood risk
- infrastructure to service urban growth
- works to protect and improve water quality through improved storm water management
How is the rate set?
For properties within the Urban Growth Boundaries the charge is called the Waterways and Drainage Charge.
The Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) clearly defines where development can and cannot occur. It supports the orderly development of land, discourages the unnecessary extension of infrastructure and helps preserve the highly valued open spaces, farming, conservation and recreation areas.
Properties outside the UGB are considered rural and receive the Waterways Charge. The difference in name is to reflect the different levels of service received.
Rateable properties in the new area and all rural properties are subject to a flat charge based on occupancy. The amount of the charge depends on whether properties are classified residential, non-residential or rural.
| Residential (inside UGB) |
$0.8455 in $NAV (minimum $67.08) |
| Non-residential (inside UGB) |
$0.9064 in $NAV (minimum $85.12) |
| Rural (outside UGB) |
$40.68 |
Are there changes to the charge basis for existing areas?
Yes, but not until 2012/13.
The Waterways and Drainage Charge for property owners in the existing area will continue to be based on the Net Annual Value of properties until that time. The rate in 2009/10 is $0.8455 cents per dollar of NAV.
The majority of residential customers in the existing area pay the minimum amount of $67.08 a year.