What to expect during a water outage

We understand how inconvenient it is to be without water, so to help make any water interruptions as painless as possible, here’s what to keep in mind.

What can happen during water supply interruptions

We provide the closest possible estimate for when your water will be impacted. Sometimes it takes less time, sometimes more. We always aim to minimise the amount of time you’re without water. In some cases, your water might be off for the estimated duration, and sometimes you may find your water supply will be back on sooner if extensive works aren’t required.

It is also quite normal to sometimes experience low water pressure and/or discoloured water while we perform fixes and works.

Once we have finished our work, we will notify you, and you can run your water as usual.

During an outage, you can also check out the impacted zone on our water outages map.

Don’t run water using appliances during an outage

Appliances that typically need water to run include evaporative air conditioners, dishwashers and washing machines.

If you have an electric hot water system, we also recommend you turn off its power supply.

Commercial machinery and appliances

For businesses that rely on machinery needing water to operate, we advise that you turn them off during a water supply interruption. If you have a backup water tank, you may be able to use this to run your appliances. Be sure to check the capacity of your water tank and whether it’ll meet your water supply needs for the period of the outage.

My water hasn’t come back on. When will it be switched on?

We always aim to restore your water as quickly as possible, but occasionally, your water may be off longer than expected.

When possible, we’ll send you an update informing you of changes to timeframes, so can get on with your day and make plans accordingly.

You can also check our water outages map to view the impacted zone and get the status of your outage. The estimated restoration time is updated as information becomes available.

Why wasn’t my water supply turned off at the estimated time?

Sometimes there can be slight delays in the work. Our priority is to make sure the work gets done safely. Occasionally we experience unexpected situations which require us to take additional precautions leading to slight delays or longer work times. We will do our best to keep you updated on any delays when possible.

When possible, plan and be prepared

For planned maintenance or upgrades which may impact your water supply we’ll notify you in advance. Make sure you take note of the day and estimated times so you can plan ahead and have enough water for your needs. Read our advice page for tips on how to prepare for a water outage.

My water supply wasn’t turned off, why did I receive an alert?

Consider yourself one of the lucky ones! Sometimes you may be advised of work planned in your area, only to find your water wasn’t impacted. This can happen because the maintenance work could be carried out on a smaller than expected water network – meaning fewer properties were impacted by the outage.

Better to be prepared than not!

My water is off, but I haven’t received information about this

For planned maintenance work, we endeavour to provide advance notice before the work takes place so you can plan ahead.

However, there are times when we need to deal with urgent situations such as a burst pipe causing major water loss and damage to properties. In these cases, we’re not always able to notify you ahead of time, but we will send you an alert as soon as possible and provide you with updates along the way.