We manage water quality in our region so that current and future customers can enjoy safe, affordable and accessible water.
Find out about services specific to your town or how we're working to minimise our effect on the environment.
Customer Charters
Our ongoing responsibilities and commitment to our customers are reflected in our Customer Charters:
- Urban Customer Charter (PDF 843KB)
- Trade Waste Customer Charter (PDF 652KB)
- Rural Customer Charter (PDF 922KB)
Our Charters are based on the Essential Services Commission's (ESC) Water Industry Standards.
The ESC also regulates our fees and charges.
Water quality
We have many different Water Treatment Processes (PDF 61KB). The Safe Drinking Water Act 2003 specifies drinking water quality standards in Victoria. Compliance with water quality standards is our Safe Drinking Water Act 2003 Annual Report (PDF 3 MB).
The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG) are also used by the water industry as a guide to what makes good quality drinking water.
Water hardness
Water hardness levels are typically expressed in milligrams per litre (mg/L) of calcium carbonate equivalent. The Australian Drinking Water Quality Guideline by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) rate water hardness as follows:
- Soft Water: Less than 60mg/L. May be corrosive.
- Moderately Hard Water: 60-200mg/L. Considered good quality.
- Hard Water: 200-500 mg/L. Known to cause increasing scaling problems.
- Very Hard Water: More than 500 mg/L. Leads to severe scaling.
To check the water hardness in your town, please refer to our 'Water hardness by location' document. You may be asked to check the water hardness in your area when installing a new dishwasher or other appliance.
Wastewater treatment
We treat sewage and wastewater at different treatment plants throughout our region.
The Environment Protection Authority's (EPA) Code of Practice for Onsite Wastewater Management specifies how we need to manage emissions, including wastewater quality and odour.
Our EPA Licence (PDF 13 MB) allows us to reuse treated wastewater according to Victorian Government conditions.
In April 2024, one of the agreed outcomes between the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and Coliban Water regarding the new Operating Licence for the Kyneton Water Reclamation Plant (WRP) was that a range of water quality and river flow data would be made available to the public via our website. This data can be viewed here.
Last updated on 06 Oct 2025