What's specific to Mildura
One water corporation
Lower Murray Water serves the Mildura municipality. Its 2024-25 report lists 37,551 people in Mildura supplied from the Murray River through the Mildura 7th Street and Mildura West plants.
Hardness well under the guideline
Seven samples in 2024-25 averaged 43.29 mg/L, with a maximum of 56, against a 200 mg/L guideline.
A high share of renters
At the 2021 Census, 36.7% of occupied homes in the suburb of Mildura were rented, against 28.5% across Victoria. 80.7% were separate houses and 7.1% flats or apartments.
Services under the nature strip
Mildura Rural City Council says nature strips may hide water, sewer, gas, power or internet services, and street trees are Council's. Ask before digging there.
Check your overflow relief gully
Lower Murray Water clears blockages and external spills that are its responsibility, such as in pipes outside your boundary. But if sewage spills inside your home because the overflow relief gully isn't compliant, it may not help with the clean-up or repairs. If you aren't sure yours is right, have a plumber check it. Our overflow relief gully page explains what a working one looks like.
Brown water in an older home
Lower Murray Water says brown water in older properties can come from corroded galvanised iron pipes. If the water clears and later turns brown again, the corrosion is likely inside your own pipes rather than the main, and a plumber can fix it. A leak detection specialist can also tell you whether old pipes have started leaking.
Stormwater and drainage paperwork
Mildura Rural City Council specifies a legal point of discharge for each property, the place where its stormwater must leave the site. Installing and maintaining the pipes on your land, and from your land to that point, is the owner's responsibility. Building work that includes a stormwater system needs a Legal Point of Discharge Permit.
Lower Murray Water has its own rule: within 5 days of finishing major drainage plumbing work, the plumber must give it an As Constructed Drainage Plan. Only Lower Murray Water and its contractors may work on its assets or move connection points.
Unsewered blocks need council consent before an onsite wastewater system is installed or changed; see septic systems.
Victoria's hot water rule, Mildura edition
1 March 2027 is the start date. After it, a worn-out gas hot water system in an existing Victorian home must be replaced with an efficient electric option such as a heat pump, though gas systems can still be repaired. We couldn't find the regulation, so check current rules.
Renters, take note: when a rental's system permanently fails and can't be repaired, the landlord must install an efficient heat pump or an electric-boosted solar water heater. Details are on our Victorian rebates page.
Plumbers in Victoria hold registration or a licence for each class of work, administered by the Building and Plumbing Commission; see the Victoria page.
What we would do
If sewage overflows outside at the gully, the gully has done its job: call a plumber, or Lower Murray Water if the blockage is beyond your boundary. If it overflows inside, have the gully checked once the mess is cleaned up, because Lower Murray Water may not help next time. For brown water that keeps coming back, get a plumber to look at the age and material of your pipes before you replace taps or filters.