Becoming a drinking water carter

Registered water carters are authorised to take and transport drinking water from approved filling points.

Drawing water from hydrants in Bulla can impact pressure and supply for nearby homes and businesses. These hydrants are not approved filling points for water carters and are restricted to emergency services only.

Please use these alternative fill locations instead:

Riddells Creek – Corner of Main and Amess Roads
Gisborne – Sankey Reserve
Gisborne – Cnr Willowbank and Melton-Gisborne Roads (electronic standpipe)
New Gisborne – 9 Newry Drive

Using approved fill points helps maintain reliable water pressure and protect local supply.

Thank you for your cooperation and support.

Hydrants in our service area are usually used for firefighting. When you have a water carting permit, you can use the hydrants for water carting.

Before you apply to become a water carter, you’ll need to read the important information on this page and take the hydrant user questionnaire.

Carry your permit with you at all times

We will send you a permit letter, a log sheet and a hydrant user card once you have completed all the steps to become a registered water carter.

Always carry your permit letter, log sheet and hydrant user card with you. We do regular spot checks and may ask to see these documents as you’re accessing our hydrants.

It is illegal to access a hydrant without a valid permit. If you access a hydrant without a permit, you may face prosecution and fines.

You no longer need to display a sticker on your truck.

Find the right kind of hydrant

There are a few types of hydrants in our service area.

Hydrants you can use

You can draw water from L-type hydrants with red tops and below ground hydrants across our service area.

You can use ground ball hydrants in the Macedon Ranges, Moorabool, Hume and some parts of Melton and Wyndham.

Two photographs side-by-side showing an above-ground fire hydrant surrounded by grass and a below-ground fire hydrant with a marker pole beside a footpath.

An L-type hydrant and a below-ground hydrant with a marker pole.

Hydrants you can’t use

Do not collect water from pillar ball hydrants (with round, red tops) and L-type hydrants (with black flat tops). These types of hydrants are connected to distribution water mains.

Two photographs side-by-side showing a pillar-ball and and an L-type fire hydrant. A large red X indicates they can’t be used to collect water.

Pillar-ball and L-type fire hydrants with black tops can’t be used to collect water.

Use the correct equipment

When you access a hydrant, use a hydrant key and a hose with the correct kind of nozzle.

Make sure you have backflow prevention measures in place and that they are working. This includes using an approved reduced pressure zone device (RPZD) or having your vehicle equipped with an air gap.

Be safe around traffic

When you are accessing a hydrant near the road, use signs and traffic cones around your truck and wear a safety vest.

If possible, park your truck in a parking bay while you are accessing a hydrant.

Fill out your log sheet

Every time you access a hydrant, you must fill out your provided log sheet.

Total your usage at the end of the month and email copies of your log sheet/s between the first and the fifth of the following month to bulkwater@gww.com.au.

Operating a hydrant

Always turn hydrants on or off slowly. Turning the water on or off too quickly can result in a shockwave (or water-hammer) running through the pipes. This will cause significant damage to the pipes and may affect the community’s water supply. Always turn hydrants on and off slowly.

Connecting to a hydrant

Before you connect to a hydrant, make sure you have working backflow prevention measures in place.

This includes using an approved reduced pressure zone device (RPZD) or having your vehicle equipped with an air gap.

If you are connecting to a ground ball hydrant make sure that the ball is not damaged prior to connecting to the hydrant.
Connect to the hydrant using the correct equipment, including the hydrant key and a hose with cam lock fitting.
For L-type hydrants, slowly turn the water on in an anti-clockwise direction. Don't spray water over the road.
For below-ground hydrants, slowly turn the water on in a clockwise direction. Don't spray water over the road.

Disconnecting from a hydrant

Slowly turn the water off to avoid the hydrant seizing.
Disconnect from the hydrant and check that there is no water around the site.
Replace the hydrant's cover.

If something goes wrong

There are a few things that may cause hydrant and fire plug leaks, like stones caught in the fire plug, worn insertion rubbers or a damaged hydrant ball.

If something goes wrong while you are accessing a hydrant: