Standpipes and water carriers

Before submitting a hire application, read our standpipe hire terms and conditions. A credit check will be performed as part of the approval process to hire a metered standpipe.

Download the application form

Complete the application form and send to:

Standpipe Coordinator
Hunter Water
PO Box 5171
HRMC 2310

Payment of the Standpipe Hire Fee is required to be paid when lodging your application. If you have a water cart tanker (water-carrying vehicle), the Inspection of Water Cart Tanker Fee is also required at the time of application.

Standpipes will not be issued until the related water cart tanker has been inspected by Hunter Water representative and confirmed compliant with Hunter Water’s backflow prevention requirements.

Inspection of water cart tankers is currently undertaken from 9 am Wednesday mornings at the access point to Burwood Beach Wastewater Treatment Works. An inspection appointment must made with our inspectors prior. Contact details for our inspectors are conveyed to the applicant as part of the application process.

Once the application has been approved (and water cart tanker inspection undertaken - if applicable) you will be contacted and requested to pay a standpipe hire security bond. This must be paid prior to the standpipe being issued. Once this has been paid the standpipe can be issued.

A letter will be sent to you providing details where to collect the standpipe.

Identification will be required when you collect the standpipe (a driver's licence is preferable).

Applications that require water cart tankers to be inspected may take up to 21 days for processing. All other applications take approximately 7 to 14 days. Please take this period of time into consideration when lodging your application.

The following conditions apply:

50mm standpipe

• Can only be used in conjunction with filling water cart tankers.
• Water cart tankers must pass inspection prior to standpipe issue.
• Can only be used at approved designated hydrants.

32mm and 20mm standpipes

No restriction where they can be used; although areas to be avoided include:

• dead-end mains
• cul de sacs
• where pressure could be affected resulting in low pressure to customers.

Standpipes are to be inspected four monthly by our contractor or 12 monthly if you provide monthly photographs of the standpipe along with the meter reading.

Water cart tankers are to be inspected 12 monthly.

Water cart tanker fill points are inspected to confirm that they comply with Australian Standards and our requirements regarding potential backflow issues. The drain point from the tanker is also checked to confirm that cross connection with the standpipe fill hose is not possible.

A breach notice may be issued together with a fine or licence termination. See our Standpipe Terms and Conditions (Part 2 - Supply and Part 3 - Termination).

When standpipes are being used:

• appropriate barriers and hazard signage
• hydrants located in the middle of the road are not to be used
• the hydrant must be a short distance from where it is being used (no further than one average house block away).