Managing your account

• Logging in – dashboard menu options, viewing alerts and messages
• Updating your account details – registering a principal account holder and changing your password
• Viewing and printing account information – exporting account information: account invoices and statements, historical water transactions, current account balances
• Carryover – submitting a request for carryover
• Meter reads – viewing, entering and exporting meter reads
• Temporary transfers – submitting, viewing and accepting temporary transfer requests
• Water ordering – creating, amending and cancelling water orders.
• FAQ– frequently asked questions

Your customer tax invoice contains important information on account transactions and your allocation and water usage charges. Issued with your invoice, your water statement provides key information regarding your outstanding water balance and any usage information.

Understanding information on these documents will help ensure you can stay informed and aware of your water usage and its costs.

Read more about how to read your invoice and water statement.

Sunwater’s water ordering telephone and online facilities are at your fingertips 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That means greater choice and flexibility for you when you need to order water.

The Sunwater Integrated Voice Response system (or phone water ordering) puts you in control of your water and business, allowing you to place water orders by means of a simple phone call to 13 15 89.

Similarly, the water ordering facility in your online account is quick and effortless. At the click of a button, it allows you to place a new water order, view your current water orders, cancel future orders and manage your water orders via a secure Internet site.

Read more on how to order.

Read our policy on unauthorised water use.

Planned shutdowns

Planned shutdowns are an integral part of our business. However, we recognise it is important that we:

• will notify you in advance about a shutdown so you can plan ahead
• plan the timing of the shutdown to suit most customers
• time works to minimise the impact on customers, while enabling Sunwater to perform maintenance on the scheme.

A planned shutdown occurs when a customer’s supply is interrupted or restricted due to the performance of work that is planned in advance.

The timing of all planned shutdowns will be set following consultation with the Irrigator Advisory Committee (for a shutdown affecting a large part of the scheme) or customer groups or individuals (for shutdowns effecting small areas). Sunwater will complete all planned shutdowns within the period notified to customers (unless later varied by agreement with the group originally consulted with), unless something occurs that is beyond Sunwater’s control, such as adverse weather conditions.

Planned shutdowns – Notice

• For shutdowns planned to exceed two weeks, at least eight weeks written notice by letter will be provided to each customer affected by the annual shutdown
• For shutdowns planned to exceed three days, at least two weeks written notice by letter, fax, telephone, or verbal advice will be provided to each customer affected by the shutdown.
• For shutdowns planned to be less than 3 days, at least 5 days notice will be provided at least verbally to each customer affected.

Each notice will state the start date, and anticipated shutdown duration. Sunwater will provide notice in advance of the planned shutdowns to its Facebook page in the regions affected and, where necessary, in local news publications.

Sunwater uses planned channel shutdowns to treat water and remove aquatic weeds which, if becoming overgrown within the channel system, can cause water systems to become choked with weeds and to overflow.

Read more about the herbicide Sunwater uses to treat aquatic weeds.

Unplanned shutdown

Unplanned shutdowns have been included as a target and Sunwater recognises that the information provided to you about an interruption and the period of time taken to resume supply are important to you.

An Unplanned shutdown is an unforeseen or not planned mechanical or operational failure of Sunwater’s water delivery infrastructure that stops or restricts the supply of water to a customer for more than 2 hours (including emergency repairs). It does not include events that are beyond Sunwater’s control (eg. power failure or storm) and does not include interruptions to supply caused by errors in estimating water demand and releases, or people taking water without authorisation.
Unplanned shutdowns will be fixed so that at least partial supply can be resumed to those customers requiring water within 48 hours of Sunwater being notified of the event.
Some events may interrupt supply greater than the above standard and are excluded from these targets. Sunwater will publish in the local newspaper and SMS Messages, these events from time to time.

Unplanned shutdown – Notice

Sunwater will notify all affected customers requiring water verbally or by telephone, radio announcement. SMS messages or fax of the likely duration of the interruption to supply within 24 hours of learning of the event, or by the end of the first business day following the event, whichever is the earlier.

Unplanned shutdown – Meter Repairs

Faults causing restrictions to supply will be repaired within one working day of Sunwater being notified.

Frequency of Interruptions to Supply

No customer will experience more than six planned or unplanned interruptions per water year (as defined above).

For more information on shutdowns please view your individual relevant water supply scheme page.

End of water year newsletters

• Newsletters are published in the month prior to the end of the water year on each Scheme page in the Scheme news section
• Customers will be notified by email and/or SMS when the newsletter is available for your scheme
• To update your email address and/or mobile phone number, log onto Sunwater Online, contact Customer Support on 13 15 89 or email customersupport@sunwater.com.au

Announced Allocation predictions

• To provide customers with an indication of the water that may be available at the start of each new water year, Sunwater calculates the predicted start of water year Announced Allocations using the storage forecast tool
• The storage forecast tool makes assumptions based on the expected volume of water in storage at the start of the water year, noting that this volume may increase or decrease should there be significant inflows, releases and evaporation
• Sunwater will confirm Announced Allocations after the start of the water year and customers will be notified by email and/or SMS and via each Scheme page in the Announced Allocations section

Carryover of unused available water

• Carryover may be made available to metered customers subject to the rules of each water supply scheme
• Detailed information for each water supply scheme where carryover is available can be found on the Forms page
• Where applicable, applications for carryover must be submitted at least 5 business days via Sunwater Online, contacting Customer Support (13 15 89) or emailing the completed form to customersupport@sunwater.com.au
• To be eligible for carryover, all outstanding account balances need to be paid.

Temporary transfers

• Applications for temporary transfers must be submitted at least 5 business days before the end of water year
• All money owing on your account must be reconciled and both parties (buyer and seller) must sign the application form
• Further information is available on the Temporary Transfers page

Outstanding accounts

• Customers intending to carryover remaining allocation to a new water year or temporary transfer water allocation must ensure that there is no money owing on the accounts
• If monies are owing at the end of the water year, temporary transfer or carryover applications will be rejected

Meter reading

• The final meter readings for the water year will occur throughout the last month of the water year
• Please ensure you maintain clear and safe access to your meters for Sunwater staff to read
• If you wish to record water used up to and including the last day of the water year, you can provide your final meter reading for each offtake by:
  • logging onto Sunwater Online;
  • contacting Customer Support (13 15 89); or
  • emailing meter readings or an image of each meter dial (ensuring offtake number is visible) to customersupport@sunwater.com.au.
• Meter reads must be received within 2 business days after the end of the water year

Unauthorised use

• Customers are only permitted to take water that they have available in their accounts, any other water use is considered unauthorised
• At the end of each water year, customers who have used water in excess of their balance will be reported to the Department of Local Government, Water and Volunteers (DLGWV) as per the Unauthorised Water Usage Policy
• If an account is found to be in breach after the final meter reading for the water year, a request to remedy the breach will be sent via SMS and/or email
• Customers will have 3 business days to remedy the breach
• If the breach is not remedied within 3 business days, a formal notice will be issued and the customer must remedy in the next water year

We understand that periods of hardship may occur for our customers and we can support their business via flexible payment options to enable continued water delivery.

Our Hardship Policy:

• treats customers with sensitivity and empathy
• caters for both short- and long-term hardship where there is likely to be a resolution
• recognises that payment arrangements are a shared responsibility between Sunwater and the customer
• makes available payment arrangements which are fair and flexible
• allows customers who have entered into, and are adhering to payment arrangements, the benefit of continued access to Sunwater services and defers or prevents the need for debt collection or legal action
• may require customers to submit an application and provide supporting documentation in order for Sunwater to approve requests for payment arrangements based upon long-term hardship
• offers referrals to a free financial counselling service
• recognises that in the event of a natural disaster or drought declaration, which may affect customers within the declared area, Sunwater may automatically extend payment due dates.

If you are experiencing financial hardship, please contact the Sunwater Customer Support team on 13 15 89 or customersupport@sunwater.com.au

The Sunwater Customer App allows customers to access similar features that are available on Sunwater Online on their mobile device or tablet all while within mobile coverage areas.

Read more about the app features and how to download.