Explainer: How Melbourne Water protects our catchments during bushfires
Victoria has once again seen bushfire activity this January, so it’s natural for people to wonder how Melbourne’s drinking water stays safe when fires are near our reservoirs and forested catchments. Melbourne Water works closely with Victoria’s emergency agencies to protect our water. Here, we explain how we get ready for bushfire season, how our crews respond to fires, and how we keep water quality high if fire gets too close to our catchments.
Why protecting catchments matters
Sixty-five per cent of Melbourne’s drinking water comes from protected forested catchments. These forests naturally filter water, so it needs less treatment before reaching your tap. Bushfires can harm these areas by letting ash, debris, and sediment wash into waterways, especially after it rains. That’s why we work hard on fire prevention, early detection, and quick response all summer.
Preparing for fire season
While Melbourne Water employs full time and seasonal firefighters, our work begins long before summer. Each year we undertake extensive fire-prevention activities across our catchments, including:
- Clearing and maintaining access roads
- Managing fuel loads
- Maintaining fire breaks
- Keeping our network of trails in good condition
Melbourne Water maintains more than 600km of fire breaks including 371km of fire access trails, ensuring emergency crews can reach remote areas quickly and safely. These preparations help reduce the severity of a bushfire should one occur.
Our specialist firefighting crews
Melbourne Water has its own trained firefighting teams because our drinking water assets sit within remote, forested catchments where early response is critical. As first responders in our catchments, our crews can contain small fires before they escalate into larger bushfires. They are available 24/7 throughout the fire season.
Our crews include seasonal firefighters, permanent staff, and specialists trained in planned burning and reducing fuel. During fire season, they work under the direction of Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMVic) and alongside the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) , Parks Victoria, and Country Fire Authority (CFA) to support the wider emergency response.
How fires start in our catchments
Most fires in Melbourne Water’s catchments are caused by dry lightning. Recently, a fire broke out on the O’Shannassy Trail and thanks to rapid response from Melbourne Water firefighters, it was brought under control quickly and prevented from spreading further into the protected catchment.
How we respond during bushfires
If fires break out near our catchments, Melbourne Water quickly puts a plan into action. Our firefighting crews, guided by FFMVic, work to protect reservoirs, pumping stations, and other important sites. We help with containment lines by removing fuel loads and doing back-burning, and we share our local knowledge of the land, access roads, and water sources with emergency agencies. Our top priority is always keeping communities and the water supply safe.
How we protect water quality after a fire
If a fire hits one of our catchments, we step up water quality checks and add extra protection. This might mean using erosion controls to stop ash and sediment from getting into waterways, stabilising burnt areas, taking more water samples, and changing treatment processes if needed. These actions help keep Melbourne’s drinking water safe, even after a fire.
Working together across Victoria
Melbourne Water is part of Victoria’s emergency management network. We work closely with DEECA, FFMVic, Parks Victoria, CFA, VicSES and recovery agencies. This teamwork helps ensure our actions support the state’s response and that the community receives clear, consistent information.
Our commitment
As bushfires continue, Melbourne Water will keep working to protect catchments, support emergency service partners, and provide safe, high-quality drinking water for Greater Melbourne.
What you can do
Stay up to date with warnings and incidents at the VicEmergency website and app.
