Prices and forms

Access account 
Authorise a person to act on your behalf.

Change address
Update your contact details including, address, email and phone numbers.

Concession 
Apply for a concession on domestic and stock water.  Visit our customer assistance page for more information.

COVID Relief
If you are a customer who is suffering financial hardship resulting from COVID, you may be eligible for interest to be removed from your account.

Direct Debit Authority
Have payments debited from your bank account

Construct a Domestic & Stock, Investigation, Observation or Monitoring bore
Apply online and receive copy of licence electronically

Construct or alter a licensed bore and to take and use groundwater 

Decommission a bore   
Apply for a licence to decommission a bore or bores under section 67 of the Water Act 1989

Online Bore completion reports   
Online portal to submit Bore completion reports (BCR’s)

Renew a licence to construct a bore 

Transfer a bore construction licence
Transfer a bore construction licence upon sale of land

Copy of record - copy of licence
Apply here to download a copy of record for an existing take and use licence or registration licence

By law, many private dams require an Operating License.

Ministerial Guidelines have created a new class of dam known as “potentially hazardous” dams.   A dam fits into this category based on the following dimensions:

• 5 metre wall height and a capacity of 50 Megalitres or more; or
• 10 metre wall height and a capacity of 20 Megalitres or more; or
• 15 metre wall height and any capacity.
• Is a dam belonging to a prescribed class of dams meaning one that is potentially hazardous based upon the ANCOLD Guidelines of May 2000. These guidelines determine hazard by considering whether there is potential: a) risk to the population or loss of life; b) loss or damage to third party property; or c) environmental damage.

The process for assessing and determining Farm Dam Construction applications includes referring your application to other agencies, advertising the proposal, and notifying neighbors. You may also be required to submit an environmental assessment report in support of the application for dams to be located on watercourses or where the waterway has been determined as having high ecological value. Additional costs may apply as a result of this requirement.

Potentially hazardous farm dams are those that, due to their size and/or location, could pose a threat to life, property, or the environment if they were to fail. This does not necessarily mean that they are expected to fail. If you are unsure of the damage your dam can cause in the event it fails, it is important to have it assessed by a suitably qualified engineer.

For a dam that is registered as potentially hazardous, you may need to seek the services of a suitably qualified engineer to design your dam and supervise its construction.

To determine if your proposed dam will be classified as hazardous, please talk to us prior to lodging your application on 1300 139 510.

Alter or decommission a dam
Apply to alter or decommission a dam

Construct and operate private dam
Apply to take and use water (surface water) and construct and operate works (dam and/or pump)

Renew you construct & operate works licence 

Dam Safety Emergency Plan
Template for procedures the Dam Owner is obligated to take in the case of a Major Event or incident occurring at the dam.

2025-26 Driller Licensing Application Package

2025-26 Drillers licensing renewal form

FOI application form

A request to access documents must be in writing and include payment.

FOI requests are subject to an application fee which is listed on the form above.  The application fee is subject to an increase on 1 July every year.

If payment of the application fee would cause you hardship, you can ask for it to be waived by providing evidence, such as a photocopy of your current health care card.

If paying by cheque or money order, please make payment to Gippsland and Southern Rural Water.

Under the Freedom of Information (Access Charges) Regulations 2014, access charges, which are set by those regulations, may also be applicable.

This could include charges for search time, supervision, photocopying and other applicable charges.

Impact Tiers

Amalgamate a groundwater licence

Dispose of matter through means of a bore

New or amend groundwater licence
Apply for a new groundwater licence or apply to increase the volume of an existing groundwater licence

Surrender a groundwater licence 
No application fee, outstanding charges must be paid to surrender

Temporary or permanent water transfer
Apply to transfer a groundwater licence to another person -not transfer of ownership

Transfer a groundwater licence -ownership transfer 
Apply to transfer a groundwater licence on sale of land

Application to subdivide
Apply to split an existing groundwater licence

Southern Rural Water is the licensing authority for water taken from waterways, farm dams, groundwater bores and irrigation districts in southern Victoria.

Southern Rural Water does not supply town water (mains/taps) or sewerage (toilets).  For mains and sewerage, you will need to contact the relevant Urban Water Authority.  To find the relevant Water Authority, click here.

If you are unsure whether to apply for an information statement, it is recommended that you speak to the Vendor to see if they have services with Southern Rural Water or if there are water licences listed in the contract of sale.
 

Information Statement application
Information Statements are also available by applying online at Landata and Dye & Durham

Irrigation District forms can be lodged electronically either through My Water or at Submit Applications page. Some forms have a unique application number and can only be used once.

Water Share forms

Transferring water shares

Form 1 - Application to Transfer a Water Share

Annexure to Form 1 -use this if more space is required for signatures on portion transfers

Form 10 - Application for a Limited Term Transfer

Water share owner identify check

Declaration and landowners’ consent

Other water share applications

Form 5 - Application to Divide a Water Share

Form 6 - Application to Consolidate Water Shares

Form 7 - Application for the Issue of a Water Share

Form 8 - Application to Cancel a Water Share

Form 9 - Application to Vary and/or Associate or Revoke the Association of a Water Share

Linking Multiple Water Shares and/or Water-Use Licences to a Single Allocation Account

Form 40 - Application to link Multiple Water Shares and/or Water-Use Licences to a Single Allocation Account

Allocation forms  

Allocation Trade

Form 39 - Application to trade water allocation

Form 39a - Authorise an agent

Form 39b - Limited Authorisation of an agent

Relinquishing allocation

Form 41 - Application to relinquish allocation to reduce carry over volume

Allocation account management

Form 43 - Application for a new allocation account

Form 44 - Application to amend allocation account holders

Water-use licence/registration applications  

Form 23 - Application for a Water-Use Licence or a Water-Use Registration

Form 24 - Application to Vary a Water-Use Licence and/or Water-Use Registration

Form 25 - Application to Cancel a Water-Use Licence and/or Water-Use Registration

Linking Multiple Water Shares and/or Water-Use Licences to a Single Allocation Account

Form 40 - Application to link Multiple Water Shares and/or Water-Use Licences to a Single Allocation Account

Declaration and landowners’ consent

Take and use licence applications

Form 29 - Application for the Issue of a Works Licence (in a declared system)

Form 31 - Application to Amend, Renew and/or Transfer a Works Licence

Form 55 - Land and Water Transfer
Apply to request a land and water transfer

Abandonment of Metered Outlet
Request for an abandonment of Metered Outlet

Give someone permission to order and use water
Give a person permission to use Waterline for the purpose of ordering water for irrigation use on your property.  This authorisation is for allocation and spill entitlement issued by SRW.

Private Works application

Request for approval of private works

Drainage diversion agreement and private works

For a new drainage diversion agreement to transfer or renew your existing one please contact us.

Impact Tiers

If there are sensitive issues surrounding your proposal (these could relate to the application volume, proposed water use and/or property location) you will be asked to pay a higher application fee.

Amalgamate a surface water licence

New or amend surface water licence
Apply for a new surface water licence or apply to increase the volume of an existing surface water licence

Surrender a surface water licence
No application fee, outstanding charges must be paid to surrender

Temporary or permanent water transfer
Apply to transfer a surface water licence to another person -not transfer of ownership

Transfer a surface water licence - ownership transfer
Apply to transfer a surface water licence on sale of land

Application to subdivide
Apply to split an existing surfacewater licence

The rate of interest for 2025-26 is 5.7%. We offer payment plans, which means you will not incur a 5.7% interest charge on overdue payments if you arrange a payment plan.

Payment plans are charged an Account Service Fee which approximates to a lower interest charge of 3.8%, applied at the end of your payment plan if you adhere to the arrangements.

Any costs associated with our collection process will be passed directly on to the account holder.

Intensive Management fee

Intensive management fees apply in areas where the costs incurred by SRW are above the normal costs of managing groundwater or surface water areas.  These costs are usually due to extra monitoring, staff, infrastructure or a combination of these.

High and Low Reliability

This is an annual fee for your high and low reliability water shares. These fees reflect the costs of operating, maintaining and renewing the reservoirs in which your water shares are harvested and stored.

Infrastructure

This fee reflects the costs of operating, maintaining, renewing and upgrading the delivery systems – channels, pipelines and regulators – that we use to distribute your water. This fee does not apply to river diverters who hold extraction shares (not delivery shares).

Standard

This fee reflects the costs of operating, maintaining, renewing and upgrading the delivery systems – channels, pipelines and regulators – that we use to distribute your water. This fee does not apply to river diverters who hold extraction shares (not delivery shares).  Where outlets are shared by more than one delivery share, the charge is calculated at 80% of the listed fee.

Metered Pump

This fee applies to each service point associated with your extraction share and reflect the costs of maintaining your meter. Where outlets are shared by more than one delivery share, the charge is calculated at 80% of the listed fee.

Unmetered

Where outlets are shared by more than one delivery share, the charge is calculated at 80% of the listed fee.

Standard

Water usage charges are billed in August for each ML of water delivered during the irrigation season – regardless of whether that water was allocated against high or low reliability water shares, or against spill entitlement. This is a variable charge calculated on the amount of water you use each season.

River

Water usage charges are billed in August for each ML of water delivered during the irrigation season – regardless of whether that water was allocated against high or low reliability water shares, or against spill entitlement. This is a variable charge calculated on the amount of water you use each season.

Casual

The casual use fee may be charges where usage exceeds your delivery share rate (expressed in ML/per day) – or where no delivery share is held. Casual use charges are not applicable to extraction shares.

Drainage Diversion

This fee is for irrigators who hold agreements to divert water from the irrigation drainage system. This is ‘opportunistic’ access to water when available in the drainage system, and no entitlement to water is held. The fee will be charged on the basis of $ per ML outlined in your Drainage Diversion Agreement.

Current tariff schedule

2025-26 Tariff Schedule
 

Groundwater, rivers and creeks

All groundwater and surface water licence holders have to pay annual fees to Southern Rural Water.

So what do those fees go towards?

We are a not-for-profit organization, so your fees cover our actual costs. The Southern Rural Water Board has a firm policy that fees from one group of customers should not cross-subsidise other groups of customers. For instance, licence holders do not contribute to the running costs of our irrigation districts.

Your fees and charges cover the cost of managing groundwater and surface water to ensure fair and equitable access for all water users, with the least possible impact on the environment. The cost of providing this service remains the same to Southern Rural Water, no matter how much of your entitlement you are able to access.

Some of the services covered by your fees include:

Monitoring

Southern Rural Water monitors water use across the southern half of Victoria, which includes reading your meter at least twice a year. We have field staff spread across our region to service customers and the community.

Our technical staff also monitor the levels aquifers and rivers. This information helps us to manage groundwater and surface water and identify long term trends or risks

Sharing water fairly

There are many ways we work to ensure water is shared fairly.

Our field staff investigate reasons for sudden or unexpected changes in water levels. Where there is a risk of over-extraction, or if users are unreasonably interfering with each other, we may have to introduce rosters or restrictions.

We have local rules that outline how rosters and restrictions work at a local level. In most areas we are developing these into Local Management Plans.

Compliance is a large part of our job. Our field staff work with licence holders to ensure they stick with their licence conditions. We investigate complaints and we take legal action when we find someone taking water illegally. Sometimes this involves going to court.

Another large part of our business is applications for new licences – but this is paid for by application fees, not by your ongoing fees. We make decisions on applications, considering available resources and effects on other users and the environment. Often this means providing local communities with the chance to have their say on the application.

Information and advice

We provide information, help and advice on a range of topics, such as groundwater, surfacewater, bores, dams and water trading.

Our expert hyrdrogeologists provide technical advice to assist in management of the licensed extraction from aquifers. They may also be called on to provide advice during assessment of applications.

We provide fact sheets, newsletters and other forms of communications and engagement to help educate users and the community on sustainable use of groundwater. 

Our prices are based on the services we provide to our customers, the cost of maintaining existing infrastructure and our investment in new infrastructure.

We have different prices for different customer groups based on the different services we provide to them and the extent of capital investment in specific areas.

Our prices are regulated and approved by the Essential Services Commission (ESC). Every five years we must submit a plan (i.e. Price Submission) to the ESC. It outlines our proposed service levels, planned infrastructure investments and our price plan for the next five years.

We develop our submission in accordance with the ESC’s guidelines and work closely with our customers to understand their needs which are then reflected in our pricing.

Our current price submission was approved by the ESC in June 2023 and runs through to 30 June 2028

Determination 2023

Decision 2023

Our prices beyond 2027-28 will be subject to a new Price Submission.

For more information on the Essential Services Commission process and how to get involved click here.

A key aspect of our pricing is the need to monitor whether we are providing the service we promised as part of our Price Submission.

This is an important part of price setting where the Essential Service Committee, considers our performance both in the past and our aspirations for the future.

For the period 2023-24 to 2027-28 we have adopted the following Performance Measures:

Reliable water supply

What did our customers say?

Our customers have told us that access to a reliable supply of quality water when it is needed is critical to their business, both now and into the future. Having modern and efficient assets enable us to provide a reliable service, while ensuring that we allocate water within sustainable limits will enable us to provide water security into the future. 

What outcome we are seeking? 

Customers have access to reliable water supplies to support their business needs.  

Great service    

What did our customers say?

Our customers have told us of the desire for SRW to be an efficient and cost-effective organisation. They have asked us to focus on our core purpose and to maintain existing standards of service. To provide great service, it is critical that we aim for optimum efficiency, where our people are supported with the right systems, processes, and technology to deliver great service to our customers.

What outcome we are seeking?

Customers have access to great service.

Sustainable water

What did our customers say? Our customers have told us that access to water is their biggest challenge over the next five years with some expressing concerns about the challenges of drought, climate change and the long-term availability of water. There is going to be the need to balance the economic, social, and environmental values of water in an uncertain future. One of the key ways we can provide greater certainty is to secure untapped resources for our customers and the environment.

What outcome we are seeking?

Allocations are managed in a sustainable way for customers, community, and the environment to ensure a secure future.

Valued community member

What did our customers say? 

SRW has strong relationships with its customers and stakeholders. Our customers have told us that they value their relationship with SRW and appreciate our efforts to advocate on their behalf. Stakeholders have also told us that they value our partnerships and the opportunity to work together. While some customers have expressed concern about our involvement in some areas (e.g. climate change, environmental and traditional owners), government and societal expectations are placing greater focus on these areas.

What outcome we are seeking?

We deliver value to regional communities through direct action and relationships with Traditional Owners, stakeholders, customers and the general community.

Fair and reasonable prices

What did our customers say? 

Our customers have told us that prices are a concern to them. In fact, this was the number one priority identified by irrigation customers. SRW has maintained a program of limited price increases and in some cases price reductions and freezes. However, we manage an asset portfolio with a replacement cost of approximately $1.85 billion where the current revenue steam leads to a gap in the financial sustainability of the business.

What’s the outcome we are seeking?

Prices reflect customer value.

Our latest performance report is available here

Current performance report

Please note, this report is based on the performance measure of our previous pricing period.