Yarra Valley Water handled 179,395 ML of water from all sources in FY2024-25, up 18.4% from 151,464 ML in FY2016-17. Its customer base grew more slowly over the same years, by 15.7%, from 783,886 to 906,803.
Losses concentrated in leakage
Non-revenue water was 17,085 ML in FY2024-25, or 9.5% of the total. Within it, leakage rose from 5,887 ML in FY2016-17 to 9,568 ML, while bursts fell from 5,193 ML to 2,716 ML. On the regulated measure, water lost from the supply system was 10.4% in 2024-25 and 9.6% in 2025-26, against targets of 7.8% and below 7.3%.
Every litre bought upstream
Yarra Valley Water owns no raw water source. It buys treated bulk water from Melbourne Water and distributes it from Warburton in the east to Wallan in the north. Bulk water and sewerage expenses were A$557.5 million in FY2024-25, the largest cost line in its questionnaire to the Parliament of Victoria.
A drier backdrop
Melbourne's storages stood at 69.6% of capacity on 1 March 2026, 11.2% lower than a year earlier, after 2024-25 inflows came in 36% below the 30-year average. The Victorian Government has ordered 150 GL of desalinated water for 2026-27, up from 50 GL for 2025-26.
Two sets of books
The state's Victorian Water Accounts measure the same system differently. For FY2023-24 they give deliveries of 155,155 ML and system losses of 12,351 ML, against the annual report's 152,563 ML used and 16,278 ML of non-revenue water. The definitions differ, and neither figure replaces the other.
The report sets out how Yarra Valley Water's supply, regulators and network fit together, where its service results sit against their limits, and which plans address the losses. The full report, Water Systems Overview: Yarra Valley Water, is available for USD 499. For a free overview, read the Yarra Valley Water Utility Snapshot.