Urban charges

Every 5 years, Lower Murray Water sets the water tariffs and charges. The Essential Services Commission (ESC) approves this pricing. For more information, see the Lower Murray Water Price Review 2023 on the ESC website.

Your residential or business quarterly bill includes:

• Fixed service charges – the charges you pay to connect your property to our water and sewerage services. You pay for these charges in advance.
• Water usage charges – the charges you pay for the water you use. You pay for the water you have used in the previous quarter.

For a detailed guide to understanding your water bill, see Understand your bill.

To find out if you are eligible for a concession on your bill, see Apply for a concession.

For a summary of charges for urban water customers, see Rural and urban tariffs and charges 2024-25.

For a summary of charges for urban water customers for 2023-24, please see Rural and urban tariffs and charges 2023-24.

Urban water customers

Pricing for urban water supply and sewerage services applies to these districts:

• Irymple
• Merbein
• Mildura
• Red Cliffs
• Robinvale
• Lake Boga
• Nyah
• Nyah West
• Swan Hill
• Kerang
• Koondrook
• Murrabit
• Piangil (no sewerage services)
• Woorinen South (no sewerage services)

Tiered water tariff system

For residential pricing, we use a 3-tiered water tariff system. This means the more water you use, the more you pay. For example, if you use more than 50 kilolitres (kL) of water for your garden, you pay more for the extra water.

You may also pay more for using extra water during the hotter months of the year.

Non-residential properties – for example, businesses – pay a single rate all year round.

Fixed service charges

Fixed service charges apply for water supply, fire services and sewerage services. These charges are set for an annual period and apply to all properties.

The fixed service charge is based on the size of your meter. This charge applies to all serviced properties in our service area. You pay for these charges in advance.

Vacant untapped land will be charged at 50% of the service tariff.

Water supply charge

This charge is for supplying water to your property (2024-25).

Meter size (mm)	Per quarter (3-month billing period) ($)	Per year ($)
20	60.44	241.76
25	93.84	375.36
32	153.75	615.00
40	240.35	961.40
50	375.39	1,501.56
65	634.72	2,538.88
80	961.05	3,844.20
100	1,502.31	6,009.24
150	3,380.49	13,521.96

Fire services charge

The fire services availability charge is for commercial properties that have a fire hydrant or sprinkler system installed on their premises.

The charge is $217.20 per year (or $54.30 per quarter) for each hydrant or sprinkler system.

Sewerage charge

The sewerage base charge is $570.80 per year (or $142.70 per quarter) for all sewered properties.

This amount is the basis for calculating the fixed service availability charge for sewerage services. We begin with the base charge and then apply specific formulas related to property classification and potential load. For more information about these formulas, contact us.

Water usage charges

The charges for water usage are based on the amount used. We read your meter 4 times a year – in September, December, March and June.

Amounts are in cents per kilolitre. One kilolitre (kL) = 1,000 litres.

January to March and October to December

Less than 100kL	Between 101kL and 200kL	More than 201kL
52.48c/kL	95.55c/kL	122.83c/kL

April to June and July to September

Less than 50kL	Between 51kL-100kL	More than 101kL
52.48c/kL	95.55c/kL	122.83c/kL

Amounts are based on a 91-day quarter. This means charges may change slightly depending on the number of days in a quarter.

Water usage billing periods

You pay for the water you have used in the previous quarter.

Water usage billing periods:

• 1 July to 30 September
• 1 October to 31 December
• 1 January to 31 March
• 1 April to 30 June

Non-residential charges

Non-residential properties – for example, businesses – are charged a single rate of 95.55 cents per kL of water used every quarter.

A minor trade waste charge of $79.44 per unit per year also applies to some non-residential properties that dispose of waste in the sewer system. This includes restaurants, cafes, takeaway shops and butcher shops.