Who manages water in South West Victoria?
Key agencies work together to manage water resources in South West Victoria. Sometimes their boundaries overlap, but each organisation has a different role and provides different services to the community.
We all work together to responsibly manage our region’s water and protect our environment, catchments and waterways.
Who to contact if you have an issue:
| Issue | Contact |
| Water or sewerage issue in a town area, including leaks | Wannon Water |
| Stormwater drain problem or blockage | Local council |
| Water supply or licensing in a rural area | Southern Rural Water |
| Flood plain, catchment or waterway vegetation issue | Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority or Corangamite Catchment Management Authority |
| Farm irrigation planning or assessment | Agriculture Victoria |
| Pollution | EPA |
| Aboriginal Waterway Assessments and Cultural Heritage Assessments | Traditional Owners |
| Water for the environment in rivers and wetlands | Victorian Environmental Water Holder |
| Strategic management of water and waterways, including governance and legislation | Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action |
Catchment management
The Glenelg Hopkins CMA and Corangamite CMA are responsible for managing catchment and waterway improvement programs on public and private land; sustainable irrigation development; works on waterways licences; floodplain management and identifying regional priorities for natural resource management funding.
This work is undertaken in collaboration with the community, landholders, Traditional Owners, and local, state and federal government bodies.
Rural water
Southern Rural Water operates seven major dams, eight diversion weirs and three irrigation districts. It also manages take and use licences for groundwater and rivers, and licences relating to catchment dams and farm dam registration across southern Victoria..
Southern Rural Water delivers water for farms, rural and urban businesses, raw water for urban water corporations, electricity generation, and supports regional catchment and environmental water strategies.
Urban water
Wannon Water is the water authority responsible for sourcing and treating water supplied to customers’ homes and businesses and managing and treating their sewage.
We serve a population of more than 100,000, including the major centres of Warrnambool, Portland and Hamilton where customer service centres are located. We supply water to 34 towns from a diverse range of sources and provides sewerage services to 16 towns.
Stormwater
Any rain that falls on roofs or collects on paved areas such as driveways, roads and footpaths is known as stormwater. The urban stormwater network is the responsibility of local councils.
Stormwater flows along kerbs and through drains and eventually ends up in our waterways, taking things such as sediment, leaves, silt, oils, chemicals and rubbish with it. You can help reduce the amount of pollution entering our rivers by composting garden waste, disposing of pet droppings in the bin, and not hosing or sweeping litter into the kerb.
It’s important not to litter, as things that get washed into our bays and oceans via the stormwater system can take a long time to break down. For instance, cigarette butts take one to five years to break down. A plastic bag can take 10-20 years, and plastic and glass bottles can hang around forever.
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