Water restrictions during a bushfire 

Water restrictions do not apply if a fire is threatening your property.

Use of water for fire fighting

The Country Fire Authority Act 1958 provides powers to fire agencies to take water from any waterway or any other source of water supply on public or private land for fire fighting purposes.

Fire fighting

There are arrangements for essential water taken during a bushfire. 

Essential water is defined as water to sustain people, stock, and crops. Stock and domestic water will be replaced to provide for essential stock and domestic needs only. Water taken from licensed/registered dams used for irrigation will be replaced to provide for agricultural and horticultural crops or permanent plantings.

Fire agencies will now leave 'calling cards' at properties where water was taken. These calling cards provide information to landholders about the water replacement process. The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) is establishing a website to help inform landholders about the replacement process

Request replacement of essential water

You can seek to have essential water replaced that has been removed from private water supplies by fire agencies provided it has been used for bushfire suppression operations. Read more in the Essential Water Policy.

Claims must be made by lodging the approved DEECA application form.

A state-wide DEECA team will receive and process all requests through a generic email address: emergency.recovery@delwp.vic.gov.au. The team can be contacted by phone on 03 5226 4667.

All requests for essential water replacement are to go to this email account and not your local council or water authority.

DEECA and CFA officers will verify volumes being requested against fire event records taken by the fire agencies. Councils will be given verified volumes and addresses of properties requiring essential water replacement. Councils will then arrange water cartage contractors to re-supply affected properties once it is safe to do so. For additional information visit Forest Fire Management Victoria.

Planned burns

Forest Fire Management Victoria works to keep communities safe year round by reducing the risk of bushfires across the state.

Information is available at Forest Fire Management Vicoria's Planned Burns site.

For further advice 

For information and advice on preparing your family and home for the bushfire season, it is recommended you consult the CFA.