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What your bill pays for

We’re there when you turn on a tap, flush a toilet, wash the dishes, have a shower or make a coffee. We’re also there to remove your wastewater and make sure it’s treated and disposed of safely. 

51%

Water services

Buying water from Melbourne Water; sampling it; and maintaining, upgrading and building new water infrastructure.

45%

Sewer services

Taking, treating and recycling sewage (including use of Melbourne Water plants); maintaining, upgrading and building new sewerage infrastructure.

4%

Other

An annual environment contribution paid to the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA), to support sustainable water management initiatives.

We’re continually investing in the future to deliver major projects that extend the life and efficiency of our service networks. Learn more about our projects.

Usage and service charges for 2025-26

In 2025-26, the price we pay to deliver that service will increase. This means there’ll be changes to the price you pay for water and sewerage services. Based on an average bill using 150 kilolitres of water per year, this means you’ll pay $9.50 more each quarter compared to last year. If you pay trade waste charges for your business, these have also increased in line with inflation.

Non-residential charges 2025-26 2024-25
Water usage charge
per kilolitre  $3.8383  $3.6826
Sewage disposal charge
per kilolitre  $1.9412 $1.8976
Water service charge    
per quarter  $21.97 $22.58
per annum  $87.90 $90.33
Sewerage service charge    
per quarter  $119.24 $116.44
per annum  $476.97  $465.78
What are usage and service charges for?

Most of what we do you’ll never see, much like the plumbing in your home or business. Here’s how we use the money you pay on your bill to provide reliable water and sewerage supplies for every customer.

This charge covers the amount of water used at your property, which is recorded by your water meter. We bill this per kilolitre (kl) of water used.

These are fixed charges for running, maintaining and repairing pipes and infrastructure that store, treat and deliver water to and take away sewerage from your property to treatment plants.

Any water that goes down your drain, from the kitchen, bathroom, toilet and laundry is called sewage. This charge is calculated as a percentage of your water usage.

This charge covers the operational and maintenance costs associated with increased demand on the water network in the event of a fire at properties with a fire service.

A few simple changes can save bucketloads. Here are some tips on how to save water so you’re not using and paying for more than you need. See more on how to save water

Other authorities' charges

We collect a range of other charges on behalf of other government organisations to help support our standard of living here in Victoria. 

Waterways and Drainage charge

The Waterways and Drainage charge helps protect and improve the health of our waterways. It also protects us from floods. South East Water collects this on behalf of Melbourne Water. In 2025-26, the minimum quarterly charge for non-residential customers is $46.95 per quarter. For more information, visit Melbourne Water’s website or contact them on 131 722.

Parks charge

The parks charge is used by Parks Victoria to maintain places we all enjoy, like Arthurs Seat, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Albert Park Lake, Lysterfield Park, Cardinia Park Reservoir and the Dandenong Ranges National Park. Property owners receive this charge quarterly. In 2025-26, the minimum charge for businesses is $22.45. For more information about the parks charge, visit Parks Victoria

Wondering what Parks Victoria parks are in our area? See our map

Trade waste charges

Trade waste applications

The 2025-26 fee is $66.32. Each new trade waste customer is charged with a one-off fee to cover the initial costs of processing a trade waste application.

Trade waste consents

This is an annual charge which covers the cost of administering and monitoring trade waste consents. The charge is based on a customer's risk ranking, based on business activities, trade waste volume and quality, their history and business location in relation to a sewage treatment plant. 

 

Risk rank 2025-26 2024-25
 1 $17,425.32 $17,016.63
 2 $8,712.63 $8,508.29
 3 $5,808.34 $5,672.12
 4 $2,904.14 $2,836.03
 5 $506.48 $494.61
Volumetric and quality charges

For customers whose trade waste exceeds any one of the following parameters, these volumetric and quality charges will apply.

  • Volume greater than 1,000 kL/year
  • Biochemical Oxygen Demand greater than 600 mg/L
  • Suspended solids greater than 600 mg/L
  • Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen greater than 50 mg/L
Volume and quality 2025-26 2024-25
 Volume (kl) $1.1361 $1.1095
Biochemical Oxygen Demand (kg)
 $1.1230 $1.0967
 Suspended solids (kg) $0.6295 $0.6148

Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (kg)

(greater then 50mg/L)

 $2.4674 $2.4096

Pricing and charges handbook

Read our pricing handbook that provides a list of South East Water’s prices and charges that recover the costs of delivering the services our customers value.

If this isn’t what you were looking for, see the following links for more information: