McCrae landslide
Community update #4
April 2025
South East Water remains committed to helping our customers and community impacted by the landslide in McCrae on 15 January 2025.
This includes:
- engaging directly with customers impacted or displaced from their homes due to the landslide.
- continuing to waive water bills for evacuated properties.
- implementing our planned digital meter rollout across Melbourne’s south-east, including in McCrae from April to June 2025. A digital meter allows you to track your water use in near real-time and detect possible leaks on your property, saving you water and money.
- continuing to monitor the performance of our network in McCrae and assigning the highest priority to any reported issues.
- assisting the Victorian Government’s Board of Inquiry into the McCrae landslide. Read the inquiry’s terms of reference.
State Emergency Services (SES) was the body appointed to manage the response phase of this incident. Mornington Peninsula Shire Council assumed control on 11 February as the body to lead and manage the recovery phase of this incident.
On 4 February 2025, the Premier of Victoria also announced a Board of Inquiry into the cause of the landslide. Read the inquiry’s terms of reference.
While we continue to undertake a thorough health check and review of our network, it does take time to conduct this work. We also understand that building a meaningful picture of a very complex issue extends beyond South East Water and so look forward to the Victorian Government’s Board of Inquiry.
We acknowledge what a difficult time it is for our customers impacted by the landslide
We’ve tried to make it as easy as possible for our customers and community to meet with and contact us if they need to.
Since the landslide occurred, this has included:
- our customer support specialists spending time in the McCrae community
- putting up posters at local community groups and retailers, promoting this dedicated web page
- letterbox drops of South East Water community updates
- supporting customers through our 24-hour Faults and Emergencies team
- setting up a dedicated email address for customer queries: mccrae@sew.com.au
- announcing a rollout of digital meters for McCrae during April, May and June 2025.
- continuing to monitor the performance of our network in McCrae and assign the highest level of priority if any future issues are identified.
It’s our job to deliver drinking water to 1.8 million people across Melbourne’s south east and take the waste away.
We also manage assets like water mains, pumping stations and storage tanks.
We’ve been focussing our efforts on supporting customers who have been unable to occupy their homes. This includes:
- assigning a dedicated customer liaison officer as a direct point of contact for matters related to their water supply and wastewater services
- waiving water bills for the period impacted customers are unable to occupy their homes
- providing advice to customers about what to do when their water service can be re-connected and they can return to their homes.
Some ways to monitor for leaks at your property include:
- turning off all taps and appliances and seeing if your water meter still ticks over
- checking your water bill for higher-than-usual water usage
- looking for visual signs of leaks around your home and garden.
For more information visit this page of our website: Check for leaks | South East Water
If you see a water leak or have an issue with sewerage let us know. Your reports help us quickly track down and fix issues when they happen.
- Call us anytime on 13 28 12 (24-hours)
- Snap a photo using the Snap Send Solve app
- Or check our online faults map at southeastwater.com.au/live
If you have your contact details registered with us, we’ll let you know via SMS or email of any possible service interruptions. If you don’t, register or sign in to mySouthEastWater.com.au to add or update your details.