What Busselton Water does

Busselton Water is a statutory, government-owned water utility corporation serving the Busselton region of South West Western Australia. Established in 1906 as the Busselton Water Board and now operating under the Water Services Act 2012, the utility supplies treated drinking water to more than 28,000 customer connections (with the service-area population swelling above 50,000 during peak summer). It extracts raw water from the Leederville and Yarragadee aquifers at depths of 300-800 metres through 9 production bores, treats it via oxidation, filtration, and chlorination across 3 water treatment plants, stores it in 5 tanks with 20,600 kL of capacity, and distributes it through a 320+ km pipeline network monitored by an integrated computer control system. Since 2006, the utility has deployed radio frequency (RF) smart meters across the entire customer base, enabling remote meter reading and continuous flow monitoring that detected and helped save more than 17 million litres per year through early leak detection.

The revenue model is anchored on two regulatory streams: an annual supply charge that scales with meter size (residential flat at $246.36; non-residential from $267.03 for 20mm up to $15,019.57 for 150mm) and a six-tier stepped consumption tariff (residential ranging from $1.23/kL on the first 150 kL up to $3.71/kL thereafter; non-residential flat at $2.11/kL) that rises with usage to drive conservation. Supplementary revenue comes from headworks contributions levied on developers ($4,343 per standard lot for 2025-26) and annual fire service fees ($267.03 plus $2.58/kL). Customer-facing operations are split across the MyBusseltonWater online portal, an Administration Centre at 1 Fairbairn Road, multiple digital payment channels (BPAY, direct debit, Australia Post), and a 24/7 emergency line (08 9781 0500).

The product surface extends beyond core water supply into water-efficiency programs: Waterwise Offers (showerhead swaps, toilet rebates up to $500, rainwater tank rebates up to $1,000), the Waterwise Irrigators partner directory with Irrigation Australia, mandatory Water Efficiency Management Plans for high-usage businesses, backflow prevention device compliance, and land development connection services. The utility maintains ISO 14001:2015 environmental management certification, achieved 100% compliance with Australian Drinking Water Guidelines health criteria, and runs over 10,000 water quality samples annually. The customer mix spans residential households (primary), commercial and industrial accounts including healthcare (Capecare, Busselton Hospital), hospitality (Wyndham Resort and Spa, Ramada Dunsborough), retail (Bunnings Busselton, KaBling Car Wash, Full of Beans), manufacturing (Hanson Busselton), and transport (Veolia Transport Depot), plus land developers as a distinct segment.

Name

Busselton Water

Legal name

Busselton Water

Website

https://busseltonwater.wa.gov.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1906

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Busselton Water is a statutory, government-owned water utility in Western Australia that supplies treated drinking water to more than 28,000 connections in the Busselton region via RF-metered infrastructure and three aquifer-fed treatment plants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Utility Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310)

SIC

Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Resources Administration (Watersheds, Rivers, Groundwater) (BPAIAMAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Water Systems & Treatment (Pumps/Boilers/Water Heaters/Filtration) (IMAIABAK)

Keywords

• Water utility services
• Drinking water supply
• Water treatment operations
• Smart water metering
• Water conservation programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Busselton

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Water Supply Service Charges: Annual supply charges based on meter size (residential: $246.36 standard) or property type (vacant land: $254.39). Charges vary by meter size for non-residential properties from $267.03 (20mm) to $15,019.57 (150mm).
2. Water Consumption Charges: Stepped billing model where price per kilolitre increases as consumption rises over the year. Residential tiers range from $1.23/kl (first 150kL) to $3.71/kl (thereafter). Non-residential charge is $2.11 per kilolitre.
3. Headworks Contributions: One-off charges levied on property developments to recover costs of major infrastructure. Standard contribution is $4,343.00 per lot for 2025-26, with variations based on land size and meter requirements.
4. Fire Service Fees: Annual fee of $267.03 per fire service connection plus metered consumption at $2.58 per kilolitre.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Busselton Water is a state-owned water utility that extracts groundwater from the Leederville and Yarragadee aquifers, treats it at three oxidation-filtration-chlorination plants, and distributes more than five billion litres of drinking water annually to 28,000+ residential and business customers across the Busselton region of Western Australia through a 320+ kilometre pipeline network monitored by an RF smart meter system. Customer-facing services include stepped consumption billing, online account management via the MyBusseltonWater portal, waterwise rebate programs, fire service connections, land developer headworks contributions, and backflow prevention compliance management.

Product overview

Busselton Water operates as a water utility corporation providing a comprehensive suite of water services across the Busselton region of Western Australia. The core offering consists of treated drinking water supplied through an advanced network of Radio Frequency (RF) smart meters spanning over 320 kilometres of pipeline. The utility combines three water treatment plants drawing from Yarragadee and Leederville aquifers with a tiered stepped billing system. Customer-facing services include the MyBusseltonWater online portal for account and usage management, complemented by water conservation programs such as Waterwise Offers (showerhead swaps, toilet and rainwater tank rebates), Waterwise Irrigators, and mandatory Water Efficiency Management Plans for high-usage businesses. Additional services encompass land development connections, fire service installations, backflow prevention compliance, and financial assistance programs including pensioner rebates.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Drinking Water Supply Service
• MyBusseltonWater Customer Portal

Quantifiable outcome

• Supplying more than 5 billion litres of drinking water annually to 28,000+ customers
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Irrigation AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to provide Waterwise Irrigators program - endorsed contractor directory for irrigation professionals who meet waterwise installation and maintenance standards. Helps customers find qualified waterwise garden irrigators.
• City of BusseltoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership for community programs including award-winning geothermal system project at Geographe Leisure Centre, joint environmental initiatives, and development planning coordination.
• GeoCatchminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal environmental organization providing native plant guides and Bay OK Garden Guide partnership for waterwise gardening education.
• EnerNOCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProcurement company that assisted Busselton Water in securing energy partnership with Alinta Energy, delivering cost savings for the business and ultimately customers.
• Alinta EnergyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnergy supplier partnership secured with assistance from EnerNOC, delivering tens of thousands of dollars in savings to the business.
• Department of Water and Environmental RegulationcoreOthersRegulatory partnership for groundwater resource protection, aquifer monitoring, and water resource management planning.
• Water CorporationminorOthersWA government water corporation responsible for sewer and wastewater services in Busselton area. Refer customers to each other's waterwise programs.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Coliban Water: Victorian regional water corporation serving central Victoria. Comparable as a small Australian government-owned regional water utility with similar customer base size and service area characteristics.
• Hunter Water: NSW state-owned water utility serving the Hunter region. Comparable as an Australian government-owned regional water utility with analogous service area scale, regulatory framework, and customer base size.
• Unitywater: Queensland government-owned water utility serving the Sunshine Coast and Moreton Bay regions. Comparable as a regional Australian government-owned water utility with similar growth pressures from seasonal and tourist population swings.
• Icon Water: ACT-owned water and wastewater utility serving Canberra and surrounding region. Comparable as an Australian government-owned water utility operating within a defined service area with regulated monopoly status.
• TasWater: State-owned water and sewerage utility serving Tasmania. Comparable as a small-to-mid-sized Australian government-owned water utility operating across a defined regional service area with similar regulatory and operational challenges.
• Water Corporation: Western Australia's primary state-owned water utility, responsible for wastewater services in Busselton and water services across most of WA. Most directly comparable peer given shared regulatory environment, state ownership model, and adjacent service territory.

Broad incumbents

• Seqwater: Queensland bulk water supplier providing wholesale treated water to retail utilities in South East Queensland. Comparable as a government-owned water infrastructure operator in Australia, though operating at a larger scale and in a bulk-only model.
• Yarra Valley Water: Large Victorian metropolitan water utility. Comparable in core service offering (drinking water supply, stepped billing, waterwise programs) but operates at much greater scale than Busselton Water.
• Power and Water Corporation: Northern Territory government-owned utility providing water, sewerage, and power services. Comparable as an Australian government-owned utility operating across regional and remote areas with similar regulatory constraints.
• SA Water: South Australian state-owned water utility, significantly larger than Busselton Water but highly comparable in business model, regulatory structure, and service offering across drinking water supply.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BusseltonWater

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 Busselton Water