Within the District, Melbourne Water is responsible for managing about 500 kilometres of waterways and drains, 145km of levee banks, over 300 flood gates and 60 bridges.

Property owners within the District pay a special charge on their South East Water bill to fund the higher level of drainage maintenance service we provide to the area to reduce flood risk. This is called the Melbourne Water precept rate and it specifically goes towards the maintenance of drainage and flood protection infrastructure. Then we use funding from others sources to upgrade the infrastructure as required.

The amount you pay for the precept rate and the level of maintenance services we provide are determined through our price submission to the Essential Services Commission. We are currently in the pricing period 2021-2026 but we will soon be asking property owners within the District to tell us their thoughts on what the price and services should be for 2026-2031. A mailout will be sent to you in the coming weeks so you can have your say.

We're happy to say that we have met all of our service levels for the year 2023-24. Take a look at the year in action and to see the maintenance works that we have completed.

Invitation to have your say on future drainage services in your area

Melbourne Water has begun to develop our price submission. This is where we propose the services we’ll deliver, and the prices we will charge over a five-year period from 1 July 2026 (2026-2031). For the Koo Wee Rup–Longwarry Flood Protection District this relates to the precept rate you pay.

As part of the submission development and to ensure prices are fair and reflective of customer preferences, the process of setting these prices starts with capturing community feedback.

In the next 1-2 weeks, every property owner across the District will receive a letter and information pack in the mail with a link to a five-minute survey. In this survey you will have the chance to share your preferences on drainage services and prices for 2026 to 2031.

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