Yarra Valley Water

What Yarra Valley Water does

Yarra Valley Water is a Victorian Government-owned water corporation established in 1994 under the Water Act 1989 (Vic), formed from the breakup of the Melbourne Metropolitan Board of Works. It is Melbourne's largest water and sanitation business, providing water supply, sewerage, recycled water, fire service, and trade waste services to approximately 2 million customers across Melbourne's outer northern and eastern suburbs — the city's designated growth corridor covering mandated Class A recycled water areas for approximately 100,000 new homes.

The company's core technology stack combines physical water/sewerage infrastructure with digital systems: smart digital meters feeding the MyAccount portal, GIS-based Asset Map and PipeTracker tools (with Web Feature Service integration), and a District Metered Area program covering 42.3% of the network by pipe length for leak and burst identification. AI and machine learning are deployed in production for contact centre automation (Caller Auto Summarisation, Real-Time Knowledge surfacing, AI Reporting & Analytics) and for a Failure Prediction Model that scores water main assets for renewal prioritisation. The company also operates a Food Waste to Energy Facility capable of converting up to 150 tonnes of commercial food waste per day into 33,000 kWh of renewable energy, contributing to an achieved 85% renewable energy share.

Revenue is generated through a regulated, dual-stream tariff approved by the Essential Services Commission: subscription-style fixed quarterly system charges (e.g., $505.31/annum sewerage, $88.46/annum water supply for residential customers effective 1 July 2026) and usage-based volumetric charges with a rising-block structure ($3.83-$5.84/kL for combined water and sewer). Additional revenue comes from trade waste, bulk water, fire service charges, and significant developer contribution streams (up to $4,332.87 per connection in New Urban Growth Areas). Customer segments span residential (~2M), business/commercial (including >100 ML/year large users with mandatory water efficiency plans), property developers, and property managers, served via direct infrastructure connection and a multi-channel digital self-service platform.

Name

Yarra Valley Water

Legal name

Yarra Valley Water Corporation

Website

https://yvw.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Yarra Valley Water is a Victorian Government-owned water corporation, established in 1994, serving approximately 2 million residential, commercial, and developer customers across Melbourne's outer northern and eastern suburbs with regulated water supply, sewerage, recycled water, fire service, and trade waste services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water and Sewerage Utility Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131), Sewage Treatment Facilities (22132)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900)

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial & Customer-Side Loss Management (Service Lines, Premise Leaks, Customer Programs) (EUANAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Purple Pipe / Recycled Water Distribution Utilities (Networks, Pressure Zones) (EUANAGAE), Recycled Water Customer Programs & Demand Management (Connections, Rate Design, End‑Use Controls) (EUANAGAJ)

Keywords

• Water utility services
• Sewerage services
• Recycled water supply
• Wastewater treatment services
• Water infrastructure management

Headquarters

HQ city

Mitcham

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Water Supply Service Charges: Fixed quarterly charges for water supply system maintenance and operation, including pipes, pumps, treatment infrastructure, and ongoing service delivery. Billed regardless of water usage
2. Water Usage Charges: Variable charges based on water consumption measured in kilolitres. Includes rising step tariff structure incentivizing water conservation. Combined with sewage disposal charges from July 2023
3. Sewerage Service Charges: Fixed quarterly charges for sewerage network maintenance, wastewater removal, treatment and disposal services
4. Sewage Disposal Charges: Variable charges based on estimated sewage volume from water usage, combined with water usage charges from July 2023 for simplified billing
5. Recycled Water Charges: Usage charges for recycled water supplied to properties in mandated Class A recycled water areas
6. Trade Waste Charges: Additional charges for business customers discharging trade waste to the sewerage system
7. Developer Charges (New Customer Contributions): Charges for developers connecting new properties to water, recycled water and sewerage services. Rates vary by development region
8. Property Plan Sales: Revenue from selling property asset plans, property sewerage plans, and sewer depth/offset plans through the easyACCESS portal
9. Bulk Water Sales: Water sales to commercial customers with hydrant permits and domestic customers at water filling stations, charged per kilolitre
10. Fire Service Charges: Annual service charges for fire services and sprinkler systems, both metered and unmetered categories
11. Third-Party Charge Collection: Collection of Melbourne Water waterways/drainage charges and Parks Victoria charges on behalf of other organisations

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Yarra Valley Water is a Victorian Government-owned water corporation providing water supply, sewerage, and recycled water services to approximately 2 million residential and business customers across Melbourne's outer northern and eastern suburbs. Core offerings include fixed quarterly water and sewerage system charges, usage-based water and sewage disposal charges, trade waste services for businesses, fire services, bulk water, developer connection charges for new properties, the Waste to Energy facility converting commercial food waste into renewable energy, and the Community Sewerage Program connecting properties from septic tanks to the sewer network. The company also runs water efficiency programs (WaterSmart), digital metering services, and customer support programs (WaterCare hardship assistance, SmoothPay payment plans).

Product overview

Yarra Valley Water is a Victorian water corporation providing water and sewerage services to approximately 2 million customers in Melbourne's northern and eastern suburbs. The company operates as a utility service provider rather than a software product company. Its customer-facing digital services include MyAccount (online account management and bill payment), PipeTracker (mobile-friendly asset map), Asset Map (desktop GIS tool), easyACCESS Portal (plan purchases and plumbing inspections), and WaterSmart Program (water efficiency). Core services encompass water supply, sewerage management, recycled water distribution, fire services, and the Waste to Energy facility converting food waste to renewable energy. The company also provides developer services for land development, including land development manual, build over easement guidelines, and connection applications through its developer portal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water Supply Service Provision of clean drinking water to residential and business properties through pipe infrastructure network across Melbourne's outer northern and eastern suburbs, including fixed quarterly water supply system charges ($88.46/annum residential, $328.21/annum non-residential) and usage charges ($3.83-$5.84/kL tiered residential, $3.40/kL business).
• Sewerage Service Sewerage network maintenance, wastewater removal, treatment and disposal services for residential ($505.31/annum system charge) and non-residential ($631.27/annum) customers, with usage-based sewage disposal charges combined with water usage charges since July 2023.
• Recycled Water Service Class A recycled water supply to properties in mandated recycled water areas including Aurora Estate, Wollert, Craigieburn West, and Kalkallo (~100,000 new homes) with usage charges of $2.0133/kL for business customers.
• Trade Waste Service Discharge management service for business customers discharging trade waste to the sewerage system, with additional usage-based charges on top of standard sewage disposal fees.
• Fire Services Annual fire service and sprinkler system charges for commercial and residential properties, in metered categories (e.g., $49.10/annum without sprinkler; $417.16/annum with sprinkler) and unmetered categories ($145.40/annum; $1,214.08/annum with sprinkler) effective 1 July 2026.
• Bulk Water Service Bulk water supply to commercial customers with hydrant permits ($306.62/vehicle annual permit fee plus $3.40/kL usage) and domestic customers at water filling stations ($3.40/kL pay-as-you-go).
• Developer Connection Services Land development and connection services for property developers, including one-time new customer contributions varying by region (Standard $1,113.63; New Urban Growth Area $4,332.87; Greenvale/Mickleham $2,452.99; Epping North $1,131.39 per connection in 2026-27).
• Community Sewerage Program Infrastructure service connecting properties in Melbourne's outer north and east from septic tanks to the sewer network. Connected 407 customers in 2023-24 (target: 207) in partnership with Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action and EPA.
• Waste to Energy Facility Facility processing up to 150 tonnes of commercial food waste per day into approximately 33,000 kWh of clean renewable energy.
• WaterSmart Program Water efficiency program helping residential customers monitor and reduce water consumption using smart meter technology.
• SmoothPay Flexible payment arrangement service averaging out annual water bill costs over 12 months on a fortnightly or monthly basis.
• WaterCare Support Program Hardship and vulnerability support program offering tailored financial assistance services to customers experiencing difficulty paying water bills, with multi-language support in Arabic, Cantonese, Greek, and Mandarin.
• Digital Water Meters Smart digital metering technology enabling real-time water usage monitoring and management for customers through online portals.
• Property Plan Sales (easyACCESS) Sale of property asset plans, property sewerage plans, and sewer depth/offset plans through the easyACCESS portal for property owners and developers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% compliance with Safe Drinking Water Regulations (2015) achieved over last 5 years
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability5 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung (Narrap Unit)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023First Nation-led land management partnership as part of caring for Country approach at Wollert Community Farm. Wurundjeri's Narrap Unit undertook cultural burn at the site in 2023 as part of endangered grassland management.
• Zero Emissions Water LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to source 20% of renewable energy requirements from a large-scale solar farm in north-west Victoria, facilitating the company's renewable energy targets.
• Melbourne WatercoreOthersBulk water supply provider from which Yarra Valley Water purchases water. Yarra Valley Water also collects waterways and drainage charges on behalf of Melbourne Water.
• Parks VictoriaminorOthersYarra Valley Water collects the Parks charge on behalf of Parks Victoria who uses funds to maintain and enhance Victoria's parks, zoos, and Royal Botanic Gardens.
• Schools Water Efficiency Program (SWEP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with schools program that has involved 368 schools in Yarra Valley Water's service area since 2012, saving over 2.2 billion litres of water and avoiding an estimated cost of $9.3 million.
• Department of Energy, Environment and Climate ActionminorOthersCollaboration on community sewerage program and environmental initiatives including education about benefits of new sewerage systems.
• Environment Protection Authority (EPA)minorOthersCollaboration on sewer spill reporting, environmental compliance, and community sewerage program education.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Melbourne Water: Victorian bulk water supplier and wholesale provider of waterways and drainage services to Melbourne retailers including Yarra Valley Water. Upstream supplier and charge collection partner rather than direct competitor, but operates in the same regulatory and customer ecosystem.

Direct peers

• SA Water: South Australian government-owned water utility providing water and wastewater services statewide. Comparable state-owned regulated water utility under ESCOSA oversight with similar revenue model and monopoly structure.
• Greater Western Water: Victorian water corporation serving Melbourne's western suburbs, formed from the merger of Western Water and City West Water. Closely comparable metropolitan water and sewerage utility with overlapping regulatory, customer, and operational characteristics.
• Urban Utilities (Queensland): Queensland's largest water and sewerage service provider, serving the south-east Queensland region. Comparable large Australian metropolitan water utility with similar customer scale, regulated pricing, and recycled water initiatives.
• City West Water: Victorian water corporation serving Melbourne's central and western suburbs prior to the Greater Western Water merger. Comparable water and sewerage utility with similar regulatory environment and customer base structure.
• Water Corporation (WA): Western Australian government-owned water utility providing water, wastewater, and drainage services across the state. Comparable state-owned integrated water utility with similar regulated monopoly structure and large embedded customer base.
• Sydney Water: NSW government-owned water and sewerage utility serving greater Sydney. Comparable large-scale Australian metropolitan water utility under IPART regulation, with similar customer scale (~5 million), revenue model, and sustainability program structure.
• South East Water: Victorian government-owned water corporation serving Melbourne's south-east suburbs. Directly comparable as a metropolitan Melbourne water and sewerage utility under the same ESC regulatory framework, with similar customer base scale and revenue model.
• Coliban Water: Victorian regional water corporation serving central and northern Victoria including Bendigo. Comparable ESC-regulated water and sewerage utility with similar operating model, albeit at smaller scale and regional rather than metropolitan focus.
• Icon Water: ACT-owned water and sewerage utility serving Canberra and surrounding regions. Comparable Australian capital-territory water utility with similar monopoly structure, regulated pricing, and infrastructure renewal focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/yvwater
• Facebookfacebook.com/yvwater
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/yarra-valley-water
• Instagraminstagram.com/yvwater

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Yarra Valley Water