Regional Standpipes

A regional standpipe is a metered service providing access to bulk water supplies in regional Western Australia.

Regional standpipes provide water source for communities that are remote from reticulated water schemes and can supplement household, business, firefighting and stock watering needs. Regional standpipes are typically owned by the local shire or are privately owned.

To find out more, read our "Using a fixed standpipe in regional Western Australia" brochure.

Accessing regional standpipes

To access a publicly available regional standpipe, please contact your local shire. A list of publicly available regional standpipes and their location can be found in our regional standpipe location list.

Local shires are responsible for installing and maintaining infrastructure and setting the prices for accessing public regional standpipes. It is the user’s responsibility to ask the shire for advice on how to safely access the fixed standpipe before using it.

Requesting a new regional standpipe

New regional standpipes can be requested through Builder Net by selecting 'Lodge a water service application'.

Once the application has been processed and the applicable fees paid, a new water meter service will be installed to supply a regional standpipe.

Please note: Water Corporation will install a water meter of the size and flow rate specified. The owners are responsible for installing infrastructure such as the overhead filling framework and card reader system if required. Owners are also responsible for ongoing maintenance and payment of accounts for water used through the water meter connected to the standpipe.

Fees and charges

For more information on current fees and charges, please refer to our fixed regional standpipes fees and charges.

Please refer to our local government pricing FAQ for more information regarding changes to pricing from 1 July 2019.

Your responsibilities

• Treat carted potable water before drinking, showering, food preparation and other potable uses.
• Seek treatment advice for carted potable water from the Department of Health, where required.
• Report faults and damage to a public regional standpipe to the local shire.
• Seek advice on safely accessing the regional standpipe before operating it.
• Report misuse of fire-fighting standpipes to Water Corporation.

From time to time, Water Corporation may advise a public fixed standpipe is not to be used for operational reasons. You must comply with this directive to protect the drinking water supply.

Dedicated regional fire standpipes

Some regional standpipes owned by local shires are only intended for firefighting and training.

To prevent the misuse of dedicated fire standpipes, the following applies:

• From 1 July 2019, access to dedicated firefighting standpipes in regional Western Australia must be restricted for fire-fighting or training purposes only; public/commercial use must be prevented at all times.
• The method of restriction should be determined by the standpipe owner in consultation with those authorised to use it and based on local conditions.
• Arrangements should be made to ensure access is easily provided in the event of an emergency.
• Fire standpipe owners should also clearly mark or have signage to indicate the standpipe is for firefighting and training use only.

Water Corporation will do everything possible to maintain scheme water supplies during a bushfire. However, water supply cannot be guaranteed and should not be relied upon as the primary source for firefighting purposes.

For more information, please contact building.services@watercorporation.com.au.

Drought conditions

A 'Water Deficiency Declaration' is a government response to provide water to farmers for emergency animal welfare needs during very dry periods.

Water Deficiency Declarations are made by the Minister for Water, in consultation with the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD).

When a declared drought zone exists, shire-owned high-flow standpipes will be made available at concessional rates in accordance with the terms of the declaration. If conditions for commercial use relief are

not specified in the declaration, standard rates will apply.

Water made available from standpipes/tanks linked to a piped water service is intended for short-term emergency use only and not used as a regular source of water to provide for the ongoing needs of a farming business.

Unrestricted draw down from standpipes may compromise the supply rate to landholders connected directly to the pipeline or town residents. Water Corporation reserve the right to close standpipes should supply be compromised.

Closure of standpipes

We may occasionally close standpipes for a variety of reasons.

Short term supply issues

When demand for water exceeds the town supply, we may need to close fixed standpipes to maintain a reliable drinking water service to customers connected to scheme water.

Maintenance

Occasionally we need to close standpipes if maintenance to the scheme is required. This can be due to leaks, planned maintenance or scheme upgrades etc.

Fires

Bush fires often damage critical water infrastructure and make fixed standpipes unavailable. While we will do everything possible to maintain scheme water supplies during a bushfire, it cannot be guaranteed and should not be relied upon as the primary source of water for firefighting purposes.

Standpipes are generally provided in sections of the network where both residential and commercial connections to the scheme are established under a “Service by Agreement” as “Farmlands” services where prior notification of interruption or closure is not required and the same regulated time constraints do not bind restoration of supply as those connected to the scheme.

Claims

In some circumstances, local shires may need to make a claim to recover water use charges. These circumstances include:

• Claiming water back from a commercial standpipe if used for local government purposes, where use is less than 49 kilolitres per day
• Claiming water charges from a commercial standpipe used for firefighting or local government purposes
• Claiming water charges where Water Corporation has taken water from a shire-owned standpipe for operational purposes.

To claim, please provide the following:

• Meter number
• Standpipe location
• Start and finish meter reads
• Calculation of water used

Please email all claim information and supporting details to wateruse@watercorporation.com.au

Processed claims will be paid as a credit in the next billing cycle on the standpipe account.

For use more than 49 kilolitres per day, call us on 13 13 95.