{{Short description|Water and wastewater utility in Victoria, Australia}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}} {{advert|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox government agency | agency_name = Yarra Valley Water | nativename = | logo = | logo_width = | logo_caption = | formed = 1 January 1995 | preceding1 = [[Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works]] | preceding2 = [[Melbourne Water]] | jurisdiction = [[Government of Victoria]] | headquarters = 25-35 Lucknow Street, [[Mitcham, Victoria|Mitcham]], [[Melbourne]], [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]], [[Australia]] | motto = | employees = 800+ | budget = | minister1_name = [[Harriet Shing]] | minister1_pfo = [[Minister for Water (Victoria)]] | chief1_name = Pat McCafferty | chief1_position = Managing Director | chief2_name = Gabrielle Bell | chief2_position = Chair of the Board | chief3_name = Rob Skinner AM | chief3_position = Deputy Chair | chief4_name = Victor Perton | chief4_position = Director | chief5_name = Mary Kanavoutsos | chief5_position = Director | chief6_name = Robyn McLeod AM | chief6_position = Director | chief7_name = Karen Milward | chief7_position = Director | chief8_name = Victoria Marles AM | chief8_position = Director | chief9_name = Kate Vinot | chief9_position = Director | parent_department = [[Department of Health (Victoria)]] | parent_agency = | website = https://www.yvw.com.au/ | footnotes = }} [[Image:Glenferrie Road Festival28.jpg|thumb|280px|right|A Yarra Valley Water stall at a community festival in Melbourne.]]
'''Yarra Valley Water''' is a Victorian Government-owned retail water corporation and the largest of the three water corporations that service metropolitan Melbourne. It provides drinking water, sewerage, trade waste, recycled water, and water-saving services to over two million people and over 61,000 businesses in the northern and eastern suburbs of Melbourne, or around 30% of Victoria's population.<ref name="DEECA">{{Cite web |url=https://www.water.vic.gov.au/for-households/find-your-water-corporation|title=Find your water corporation|publisher=Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action|access-date=4 August 2025}}</ref> The water distributed by Yarra Valley Water is supplied by [[Melbourne Water]], as is the infrastructure. Oversight is provided by the [[Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action]].<ref name="DEECA" />
Yarra Valley Water's district covers approximately 4,000 square kilometres from as far north as [[Wallan, Victoria|Wallan]] and extending to [[Warburton, Victoria|Warburton]] in the east.<ref name="OO">{{Cite web |title=Organisation overview {{!}} Yarra Valley Water |url=https://www.yvw.com.au/about-us/organisation-overview |access-date=2024-11-27 |website=www.yvw.com.au}}</ref> Yarra Valley Water owns and maintains over 10,400km of water mains and over 10,300km of sewer mains.<ref name="YV">{{Official website|http://www.yvw.com.au}}</ref>
As a government-owned corporation, Yarra Valley Water is a public entity that operates on a commercial model. Its activities are overseen by an independent Board of Directors appointed by the Victorian Government. Day-to-day management and administration are delegated to the Managing Director and Executive Team. Yarra Valley Water's head office is situated in [[Mitcham, Victoria|Mitcham]] and employs around 800 staff.<ref name="YVW_AR">{{Cite web |url=https://www.yvw.com.au/-/media/files/yvw-website/about-us/reports/annual-reports/yvw-2023-24-annual-report.pdf|title=Yarra Valley Water Annual Report 2023-24|publisher=Yarra Valley Water|access-date=4 August 2025}}</ref>
Yarra Valley Water has committed to achieving [[Net-zero emissions|net-zero]] emissions as part of its "beyond zero carbon" initiative. From 1 July 2025, the corporation achieved the milestone of being powered by 100% renewable electricity and is on track to report net-zero [[Carbon accounting|Scope 1]] and [[Carbon accounting|Scope 2]] emissions for the 2025-26 financial year, four years ahead of its government obligations. The organisation is also working to reduce [[Carbon accounting|Scope 3]] emissions, with a target of a 67% reduction by 2030 from a 2023-24 baseline.<ref name="YVW_NZ">{{Cite web |url=https://www.yvw.com.au/about-us/our-strategy/sustainability/our-journey-net-zero|title=Our journey to net zero|publisher=Yarra Valley Water|access-date=4 August 2025}}</ref> Efforts include installation of [[Solar power|solar PV]] production facilities at various Yarra Valley Water-owned sites, and the use of its food waste to energy facilities.
== Infrastructure == Yarra Valley Water manages:
* 10,475 kilometres of water supply mains * 836 kilometres of recycled water supply mains * 10,396 kilometres of sewer mains * 90 drinking water and recycled water pumping stations * 149 drinking water and recycled water pressure reducing stations * 94 sewerage pumping stations * 50 drinking water and recycled water service reservoirs * 9 sewage treatment plants * 1 food waste to energy facility (ReWaste) * 3 recycled water treatment plants<ref name="AR">{{Cite web |title=Annual reports {{!}} Yarra Valley Water |url=https://www.yvw.com.au/about-us/reports/annual-reports |access-date=2024-12-03 |website=www.yvw.com.au}}</ref>
In 2023-24, 81km of water and sewerage supply mains were renewed or replaced.
== Waste to Energy == Yarra Valley Water established the ReWaste [[Waste-to-energy|waste to energy]] facility<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home {{!}} An innovation in sustainable waste management. |url=https://rewaste.com.au/ |access-date=2024-12-03 |website=rewaste.com.au}}</ref> in [[Wollert, Victoria|Wollert]], which receives commercial [[Food loss and waste|food waste]] that is broken down using [[anaerobic digestion]] in digestate tanks, to produce [[biogas]]. This biogas is used to fuel an [[engine]] which [[Electricity generation|generates electricity]], powering the ReWaste infrastructure and adjacent [[Sewage treatment|sewage treatment plant]]. Excess generated electricity is exported to the [[Electrical grid|power grid]]. The process also produces [[digestate]], a nutrient-rich product useful in [[Agriculture in Australia|agriculture]]. Waste is not [[Incineration|incinerated]] or burned.<ref name="AI">{{Cite web |title=About {{!}} An innovation in sustainable waste management. |url=https://rewaste.com.au/about-us |access-date=2024-12-03 |website=rewaste.com.au}}</ref> In 2023-24, 13,950 tonnes of food waste was processed to generate [[Renewable energy|renewable electricity]].<ref name="AR" />
A second ReWaste waste to energy facility, located in [[Lilydale, Victoria|Lilydale]], is currently under construction. The new $48 million facility is expected to start taking commercial food waste in 2025 and be fully operational in 2026.<ref name="Premier_Lilydale">{{Cite web |url=https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/new-lilydale-facility-driving-circular-economy-transition|title=NEW LILYDALE FACILITY DRIVING CIRCULAR ECONOMY TRANSITION|publisher=Premier of Victoria|date=16 April 2024|access-date=4 August 2025}}</ref> This facility is designed to divert approximately 55,000 tonnes of food waste from landfill annually and is expected to generate up to 39,000 kWh of electricity per day, enough to power more than 2,200 households. The project is expected to reduce emissions by 24,700 tonnes every year.<ref name="Premier_Lilydale" />
==References== {{Reflist| <ref name="DEECA">{{Cite web |url=https://www.water.vic.gov.au/for-households/find-your-water-corporation|title=Find your water corporation|publisher=Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action|access-date=4 August 2025}}</ref> <ref name="YVW_AR">{{Cite web |url=https://www.yvw.com.au/-/media/files/yvw-website/about-us/reports/annual-reports/yvw-2023-24-annual-report.pdf|title=Yarra Valley Water Annual Report 2023-24|publisher=Yarra Valley Water|access-date=4 August 2025}}</ref> <ref name="YVW_NZ">{{Cite web |url=https://www.yvw.com.au/about-us/our-strategy/sustainability/our-journey-net-zero|title=Our journey to net zero|publisher=Yarra Valley Water|access-date=4 August 2025}}</ref> <ref name="Premier_Lilydale">{{Cite web |url=https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/new-lilydale-facility-driving-circular-economy-transition|title=NEW LILYDALE FACILITY DRIVING CIRCULAR ECONOMY TRANSITION|publisher=Premier of Victoria|date=16 April 2024|access-date=4 August 2025}}</ref> }} {{Official website|http://www.yvw.com.au}} ==External links== {{WaterVictoria |state=expanded}} {{Authority control}}
[[Category:Water companies of Victoria (state)]] [[Category:Government agencies established in 1995]] [[Category:Government-owned companies of Victoria (state)]] [[Category:Companies based in Melbourne]]
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