Apply for domestic and stock tapping

If you want to take and use water from from a bore, dam, river or stream, you must apply for domestic and stock water supply tapping.

How to apply

To apply, complete the application form.

With your application include:

• a copy of the property plan – sketch plan showing the location of the pipeline/channel, tapping, private pipeline, pump, tanks and house
• a copy of the property title.

Fees apply. Please contact our Rural Customer Team on 1800 808 830 (Option 3) for current fees.

Submit your application:

• online
• by email – scan the completed application form and email to applications@lmw.vic.gov.au
• by mail – to our Mildura postal address
• in person – at our Mildura office during opening hours.

To pay the fee by credit card, contact us. We can’t process your application until the fee has been paid.

We’ll get back to you within 30 days. If we need more information, we’ll contact you.

Conditions

1. The water supplied from this tapping is only river/channel quality standard

• It is not potable water and is not intended for human consumption (non-consumptive domestic use).
• It may be unsuitable at times for other purposes – for example washing, bathing or animal consumption.
• It is the property owner’s responsibility to tell other people who may use this water about the water quality.

We aim to supply water at a quality that is at least the same as the quality at its source.

We check water quality and aim to inform you of changes in water quality that are likely to impact what people use the water for. When necessary, we issue public notices about water quality – see our Water quality reports.

2. Domestic and stock (D&S) allowance (water use registration)

• The minimum domestic and stock (D&S) water share allowance for a D&S property is 1.5 megalitres (ML).
• The maximum D&S water share allowance is 5ML.

You only access water through tapping if you have a water-use licence through the Victorian Water Register.

Properties without a D&S water share must maintain a positive balance in their allocation account (ABA) at all times.

3. Tapping and internal pipeline size

The size of the tapping must follow Attachment 1 of our Customer Charter – Rural. As a guide, it must also follow the sizes below.

Water pressure	Tapping size (mm)	Meter size (mm)	Flow control valve
Greater than 25 metres water pressure	25mm	25mm	Yes
Between 8 and 25 metres water pressure	25mm	32mm	No
Between 3 and 8 metres water pressure	25mm	40mm	No
Less than 3 metres water pressure at all times	40mm	50mm	No

The internal pipeline must feed directly into the storage and be equipped with a ball valve.

The tapping and the isolation valve on the supply pipeline system is the property of Lower Murray Water.

4. Pumps on D&S installation

• A pump may be used to fill the approved storage if there is not enough pressure from the Lower Murray Water supply system.
• The maximum pump size is a 20mm diameter centrifugal or pressure pump. The pump must have an output of no greater than 0.6 litres per second (L/s) from gravity pipelines or 0.75 L/s from medium/high pressure pipelines or channels.
• The pump must be fitted with a cut-off switch to prevent overtopping when the tank is full.
• The pump can only be used to fill the approved storage and must not be used to pump water directly onto the property.

5. Approved storage

We recommend that domestic and stock water users in irrigation and rural districts have adequate storage for 6 weeks normal use.

We recommend minimum storage capacity to cover periods when irrigation systems are not operating – for example, during the winter irrigation season.

The minimum recommended storage capacity is:

• 45,000 litres for sole supply from domestic and stock water
• 4,500 litres for dual supply (domestic and stock water plus urban supply).

Earthen storages – dams dug into the ground – are not permitted.

6. Connection between LMW supply system and on-property storage

No tappings are allowed to be installed on the internal pipeline between the tank and the Lower Murray Water pipeline.

Responsibility for repairs to the pipeline follows Section 9.1 and Attachment 1 of our Customer Charter – Rural. In general:

• For low pressure systems – the owner is responsible for the pipeline up to the meter assembly.
• For high pressure systems – Lower Murray Water is responsible for the pipeline up to the meter assembly.

7. Meters

An approved meter must be installed on all new connections and be located as close to the distribution system as possible.

A meter installation may include:

• a meter
• a filter
• a flow control valve
• a pressure-reducing valve
• all pipework immediately before and after these fittings.

All meters are the property of Lower Murray Water.

If a meter is on private land, you must provide reasonable access to read the meter and maintain the meter installation site. The meter installation must also be kept clear – to 0.5m distance – of all plants, weeds and structures.

8. Customer responsibilities

You are responsible for:

• paying all rates, tariffs and charges
• cleaning the filter
• not interfering or altering any part of the meter installation, other than to clean the filter
• ensuring meters can be accessed for reading and maintenance
• ensuring there are easement rights where private pipelines pass through a property
• getting approvals from the relevant authorities, land owner and/or land manager or utility providers, before trenching a private pipeline.

9. Shared private D&S pipelines

Lower Murray Water may allow a shared private community pipeline to a number of separate D&S properties from a single tapping on our supply system.

A separate meter must be installed at each internal supply point.

10. Approval process

Once the application is approved:

• you must pay all installation charges
• the approval is only valid for the financial year (up to 30 June) when it was granted.

The tapping will only be installed if there is no interruption to the pumping schedule and/or it doesn’t interfere with supply to other customers.

If we delay the installation – and changes are made to the relevant policy or procedures – then you won’t pay any extra costs.