About Water Corporations

Water Corporations deliver a range of services to customers and communities across their service areas. Responsibilities include supply of drinking and recycled water, removal and treatment of wastewater (sewage), delivery of water for irrigation, domestic and stock purposes, drainage and salinity mitigation. Water Corporations also operate and maintain a range of infrastructure that enables them to perform responsibilities, including treatment plants, pumping stations, pipes, channels, reservoirs, dams, gates and meters.

Mitigation

Activity Critical task alignment / activity source

Conduct periodic training exercises to ensure emergency management plans can be implemented effectively

1.6

Develop appropriate operation and maintenance plans, risk management plans, emergency management plans and business continuity plans to ensure the water supply, wastewater (sewerage) and irrigation and drainage assets owned or managed function appropriately

1.1, 1.3

Develop appropriate dam safety emergency plans to deal with a potential dam failure of dams owned or managed

1.1, 1.3

Participating agency for the storm mitigation activity: equipped, trained and prepared essential services including power, water, gas and transport

Table 8: Participating agencies for mitigation

Participating agency for the water supply disruption mitigation activity: system resilience e.g. desal plant and grid connectivity

Table 8: Participating agencies for mitigation

Response (including Relief)

Activity Critical task alignment / activity source

Activate emergency management plans and business continuity plans when there is a foreseeable or actual failure of assets or disruption to services

3.1

Lead Response Support Agency (RSA) for the functional area of Reticulated water and wastewater (sewerage)

Table 10: Support agencies for response

Relief Support Agency (RelSA) to DELWP to coordinate the provision of drinking water to eligible households where reticulated water and wastewater (sewerage) services are unavailable 

3.2, 10.2, 15.2

Table 12: Relief coordination

Recovery

Activity Critical task alignment / activity source

Recovery Lead Agency (RecLA) to deliver:

  • recovery and rehabilitation of essential reticulated water supply for domestic use (co-lead with DELWP)
  • restore essential reticulated sewerage, sanitation systems and wastewater management systems for domestic use (co-lead with DELWP)

19.7

Table 17: Recovery coordination: Built environment

Lead fish death clean-ups where the fish death event is on a water corporation managed water body at a local or regional scale.

18.4

Lead the delivery to restore, clear and rehabilitate public buildings and assets managed within Water Corporations’ portfolio

19.3, 19.7

Recovery Support Agency (RecSA) to make available essential water for agriculture (from raw water sources) and domestic uses (potable or raw water) to replace like for like water taken by DELWP and CFA from private landholders during bushfire suppression activities. However, Water Corporations do not manage the operations or supply the water. It is a priority for DELWP and CFA to take raw water for bushfire suppression rather than potable water

3.2, 15.3

Table 17: Recovery coordination: Built environment

Assurance and Learning

For assurance and learning activities, refer directly to the agency for further information.