What happens to mains water in a bushfire

Summer in Australia can bring an increased risk of bushfires, especially in areas with forests, bush and grassland.

We can’t guarantee your mains water supply during a bushfire. We design our network for normal residential and commercial use, not emergency surges.

During a bushfire, high demand for water from firefighters or customers, or damage to infrastructure, may reduce water pressure or interrupt supply.

Power outages can affect our network, and in some cases, we may not be able to fix our mains water supply immediately.

We have bushfire preparedness plans in place, including back-up systems and precautions. Bushfires can be unpredictable, so it’s important you plan ahead and not just rely on mains water.

Plan ahead for bushfire days

Water quality during a bushfire and after a bushfire

We’ll contact subscribed customers by SMS or email if drinking water quality is affected during a bushfire. We’ll also post updates on our website, news section and social media channels.

If you provide us with an updated email address and mobile number, we can let you know about any possible service interruptions quicker than by mail.

Register or login to mySouthEastWater to update your details.

Rainwater tanks

If your rainwater tanks on your property supply drinking water, ash and/or firefighting retardants may affect its quality during a bushfire.

Don’t drink the water or use for food preparation if ash or chemicals have entered your tank.

Boiling water won’t remove chemical contaminants. If your tank is contaminated, get it professionally cleaned before using the water again.

Our bushfire readiness actions

Every year, we put a number of measures in place to help minimise interruptions during the declared bushfire season. These include:

  • keeping water storage tanks topped up during total fire ban days
  • installing permanent generators at high-risk sites and sending temporary ones to key locations ahead of summer
  • clearing gutters, roofs and any rubbish near our asset sites, such as pumping stations, to reduce bushfire risk
  • installing deluge/fire sprinkler systems in some of our critical sites in high-risk bushfire zones
  • carrying out planned preventative maintenance across our network
  •  inspecting and maintaining fire hydrants through our Hydrant Inspection and Maintenance Program
  • working closely with CFA to inform our bushfire preparedness before and during the bushfire season. 

Emergency contacts and resources

In an emergency or bushfire call 000 for fire, police or ambulance.

Fire and emergency updates

In an emergency or bushfire call 000 for fire police or ambulance

  • Wildlife rescue: 1300 094 535
  • State Emergency Service (SES): 13 25 00
  • VicRoads road closures: 13 11 70
  • VicEmergency Hotline: 1800 226 226