During this uncertain time, our priority is the health and well-being of our team, customers and our communities at large. 

We want to assure you, your essential services from us are unaffected by COVID-19. We are continuing to provide safe and reliable water and sewerage services to our customers, and we are working hard to do our best to service our communities during this difficult time.

We can help relieve financial pressure

We've set up a dedicated program called Urban Assist - our COVID-19 Special Assistance Program - to provide customers with financial relief.

Find out more

Your water and sewerage services are safe

There’s no evidence COVID-19 is transmitted by drinking water. Our existing water treatment and disinfection processes are highly effective in protecting water supplies. Your tap water remains high-quality, well treated and constantly monitored to ensure it meets stringent Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.

Information on drinking water and public health is available from the Water Services Association of Australia. 

There’s also no evidence COVID-19 is transmitted via wastewater systems, with or without wastewater treatment. We’re continuing to manage and treat wastewater properly and carefully to protect both the environment and public health

Managing interruptions to your water supply

We manage a big network of 9,000km of water pipes and sometimes bursts can occur. We have crews on standby 24/7 to respond and restore your water supply as quickly as possible. If you do see them working, we ask that you maintain social distancing so they can safely do their work.

Sometimes we also need to interrupt your water supply for essential planned works such as repairs and maintenance. For planned works, we’ll provide you with at least three days’ notice prior so you can prepare for the outage.

As a precaution, we recommend you store some water in containers to use during a temporary outage. Please ensure you set aside enough for your needs including drinking and hand washing.

From all of us at Urban Utilities – take care and stay safe.

Contacting us

Our teams are available to answer your urgent enquiries on our General Enquiries line 13 26 57 (8am – 6pm weekdays). For Faults and Emergencies call 13 23 64 (24/7).

Instead of waiting on hold, you can message us on Webchat, Facebook or Twitter (6am – 9pm weekdays).

Stay up to date

As the COVID-19 situation unfolds, stay up to date on our response by visiting this page or following us on Facebook.

You can also make the switch to email billing. You’ll save time and paper, go in the draw to win $100 off your next bill, and make it easier for us to contact you about important updates to your account or your water and sewerage services.

More information


Frequently asked questions

Billing

Difficult times can put people under unexpected financial pressure, but we’re here to help.

We've set up a dedicated program called Urban Assist - our COVID-19 Special Assistance Program - to provide customers with financial relief. We have a range of assistance options, including interest-free payment extensions and flexible payment arrangements. More information is available here.

 

The Queensland Government has announced it will provide a $200 payment to help with the cost of water and electricity bills for Queensland households.

Here’s what we understand:

  • The payment is a total of $200, which is intended to be $100 for water and $100 for electricity.
  • You don’t need to do anything – the total $200 payment will be applied automatically through household electricity bills, as this is the simplest way to provide the payment to households quickly. This means the payment won’t appear on your water bill.
  • The State Government is working with electricity retailers to provide the payment as quickly as possible on electricity bills over the coming months.

To find out more about how the payment will be made and who it will go to, view the State Government fact sheet here.

We’re aware you might be at home all day right now, which means you’re likely to use more water than usual.

If you’re worried about the impact this could have on your bills, why not check out our useful tips on ways to use less water around the home.

Find out more.

Customer health and safety

During these uncertain times, we’re committed to supporting our customers, communities and employees as we respond to this evolving situation.

As an essential service provider, we recognise the important role we play in our communities in supporting public health. It is a responsibility we take seriously, and we’re working hard behind the scenes to continue delivering our usual high-quality service levels.

We have made numerous changes to accomplish this including:

  • Following the health and travel advice from the Australian Government.
  • Working from home for employees who are not delivering essential field-based services.
  • Increased cleaning and disinfection at our many work sites.
  • Closing our Reception services in Brisbane and Ipswich.
  • Postponement of tours and community events.
  • Suspension of customer door-knocking services, until further notice.

For contractors, suppliers and other partners who usually access our Reception services, please get in touch with your primary contact at Urban Utilities to arrange future meetings or to pick up or drop off any relevant materials.

You can have peace of mind that your water and sewerage services are not affected by COVID-19. There’s no evidence COVID-19 is transmitted by drinking water. Our existing water treatment and disinfection processes are highly effective in protecting water supplies. Your tap water remains high-quality, well treated and constantly monitored to ensure it meets stringent Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.

There’s also no evidence COVID-19 is transmitted via wastewater systems, with or without wastewater treatment. We’re continuing to manage and treat wastewater properly and carefully to protect both the environment and public health.

We’re so sorry your supply’s been disrupted. Our crews are working as quickly as they can to fix this.

If you need water urgently, please get in touch to let us know your situation. We’d also recommend you reach out to a family member, friend or neighbour to drop off some supplies for you.

As a precaution, we recommend you store some water in containers so you have water to drink and wash your hands if your supply is temporarily interrupted.

To keep up to date on incidents, visit our homepage.

We understand a large part of our community is staying at home and relying on water to stay hydrated and for regular handwashing and hygiene during these unprecedented times.

As a precaution, we’re recommending people have some water stored at home in case of an outage. As a general rule of thumb, allow for around 10 litres per person.

If you’re filling your own containers, it’s a good idea to use food-grade jerry cans and refresh them every three months. Store them away from chemicals in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.

During water outages our teams carry a small supply of bottled water in their vehicles for customers in difficult circumstances.

If you’ve lost water as part of an unplanned water outage and you can’t access bottled water or don’t have any stored at home, we encourage you to get in touch with us.

 

 

Operations and services

During the current toilet paper shortage, it’s important to remember to only flush the Three Ps - pee, poo and (toilet) paper. If you’re having to use alternatives such as wet wipes, paper towels, or tissues please dispose of them in the bin. The problem with these products is they don’t disintegrate as quickly as toilet paper after they’re flushed and they can cause costly blockages in your pipes and ours.

We have crews on standby 24/7 to respond and restore supply as quickly as possible to any unexpected interruptions to your water supply.

We recommend you store some water in containers so you have water to drink and wash your hands if your supply is temporarily interrupted.

If you’re filling your own containers, it’s a good idea to use food-grade jerry cans and refresh them every three months. Store them away from chemicals in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.

It’s essential we continue to work on the network to ensure the safety and reliability of your water supply.

We recommend you store some water in containers so you have water to drink and wash your hands if your supply is temporarily interrupted.

As part of our response to COVID-19, we are reviewing our works for changes we can make to minimise impacts to customers, recognising people are spending more time at home.