Water Supply Interruption – Harrietville
5 July 2026 | 3.30pm
North East Water crews have resolved the issue that was causing the significant water loss affecting Harrietville's water supply.
Following extensive investigations, the cause was identified to be a valve issue on a water main near the treatment plant.
Customers can now resume normal water use as the treatment plant is now operating normally and the town's water storage tank is nearly full.
We would like to sincerely thank the Harrietville community for its patience, understanding and support throughout this incident.
We are especially grateful to residents and businesses for reducing their water use during this issue. Your efforts played a significant role in helping maintain supply to the town and supporting our response.
We appreciate the community's cooperation and apologise again for the inconvenience caused.
5 July 2026 | 9:30am
North East Water crews have successfully located and repaired the issue responsible for the major water loss affecting Harrietville's water supply.
Work is now underway to restart the Harrietville Water Treatment Plant and begin refilling the town's water storage tank. Water carting will continue to support supply while the system recovers.
We are asking customers to continue conserving water and avoid non-essential water use until around 3pm today. This will help allow the storage tank to refill and support the return of normal water supply across the town.
We expect normal water supply to be restored by approximately 3pm.
This has been a challenging issue for our teams to locate and resolve, and we sincerely thank the Harrietville community for its patience, understanding and support throughout the response.
4 July 2026 | 3:00pm
North East Water crews have narrowed down the area where the major water loss is occurring and investigations are continuing.
Locating the leak has been challenging due to the difficult terrain and saturated ground conditions following recent wet weather. These conditions can make it difficult to identify where water is escaping from the system.
Water carting will continue to help maintain supply to Harrietville. Customers may continue to experience varying water supply conditions, including low water pressure or temporary interruptions.
We are asking all people to reduce water use as much as possible and avoid non-essential water use while investigations and repair works continue.
At this stage, we expect normal water supply to be restored sometime tomorrow, subject to locating and repairing the leak.
We apologise for the ongoing inconvenience and thank the Harrietville community for its patience and understanding.
The next update will be provided mid-morning tomorrow, or sooner if significant new information becomes available.
4 July 2026 | 9:00am
North East Water crews have continued investigations this morning into the major water loss affecting the Harrietville water supply system. While a number of potential locations have been inspected, the source of the leak has not yet been identified.
Water carting is continuing to help maintain supply across Harrietville. As a result, water availability may vary throughout the town, with some customers experiencing low water pressure or short periods without water.
We are again asking all customers to use water sparingly and avoid non-essential water use wherever possible. This will help maximise the available supply while crews continue their investigations.
Our team remain on site and will work throughout the day to locate the leak and restore normal service as quickly as possible.
We apologise for the ongoing inconvenience and thank the Harrietville community for its patience and understanding.
The next update will be provided by 3pm today, or sooner if significant new information becomes available.
3 July 2026 | 9:00pm
North East Water crews are continuing to investigate a major water loss affecting the Harrietville water supply system. At this stage, we have not yet been able to identify the source of the leak.
Water carting is underway to help maintain supply. However, demand is currently exceeding the volume that can be carted into the system.
As a result, some customers may continue to have water supply, while others may experience low water pressure or no water at all.
We are asking all Harrietville customers to use water sparingly and avoid non-essential water use wherever possible. Reducing demand will help maximise the available supply while investigations continue.
The issue is expected to remain ongoing until at least tomorrow morning while crews work to locate the leak and restore normal operations.
We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience and thank the Harrietville community for its patience and understanding.
We will have a further update by 9am Saturday morning.
3 July 20226 | 5:50pm
North East Water is responding to a major water leak on the pipeline between the Harrietville Water Treatment Plant and the town’s water storage tank.
As a result, water levels in the storage tank have been significantly reduced, and some customers may be experiencing low water pressure or have no water supply.
Our crews are currently working to locate the leak and restore the water supply as quickly as possible. Water carting has been arranged to refill the town’s storage tank and help maintain supply while repairs are underway.
We are asking all Harrietville customers to use water sparingly until the leak has been located and repaired. Reducing non-essential water use will help conserve remaining supplies and support efforts to restore services across the town.
We understand the inconvenience this may cause and appreciate the community’s patience while we work to resolve the issue.
Further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.