Business pricing, fees and charges
New prices for water and wastewater services apply from 1 July 2025. As our region grows and our climate becomes more unpredictable, a safe and secure water supply is more important than ever.
The new prices balance the need to continue providing high quality water and wastewater services, while ensuring equity for future bill-payers and future generations.
View IPART's Final Report for Hunter Water's prices from 2025 to 2030
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What will the costs go towards?
The money we receive from your bill helps us deliver essential services and invest in the future. It ensures clean drinking water flows from your taps and used water is collected and treated to protect public health and our environment.
We use this revenue to:
- Provide safe and reliable water
- Deliver wastewater services that protect public health and the environment
- Support customers who need extra help
- Future-proof our region’s water supply
- Maintain and protect our water sources
- Create a more sustainable future
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How did we come to this price change?
We submit a pricing proposal to Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) every five years which is then assessed by them to ensure safe, reliable services are provided at a fair price.
More than 8,000 customers, community members and stakeholders helped shape our pricing proposal over the past two years. They identified the key areas of keeping bills affordable; looking after customers in need, providing clear and clean water, and providing reliable wastewater services.
From the community's input, we have balanced providing reliable, high-quality water and wastewater services with creating a positive legacy for future generations and keeping prices affordable.
Understanding your charges
The following charges apply from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026.
Water charges
Business customers receive a water bill that includes a combination of:
- a fixed water service charge
- a water usage charge
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Fixed water service charge
This is a set charge that helps cover the cost of operating and maintaining the water network. It is based on the size of each billable water meter connected to your property.
Service charges are paid in advance and spread across each billing cycle.
Meter size
Annual service charge 20mm $32.85 25mm $51.33 32mm $84.10 40mm
$131.40 50mm $205.31 65mm $346.98 80mm $525.60 100mm $821.25 150mm $1,847.81 200mm $3,285.00 250mm $5,132.81 300mm $7,391.25 350mm $10,060.31 -
Water usage charge
This charge is based on how much water your business uses.
Charge type Usage charge per kL (1000 litres) Water usage $3.27 Drought response usage charge
During periods of drought, the water usage charge increases to:
- reward people for saving water when it matters most
- reflect the extra costs associated with drought related activities
Charge type Usage charge per kL (1000 litres) Water usage
$3.82 What triggers a drought response
A drought response is triggered 31 days after water storage levels fall below 60 percent and remains in place until 31 days after levels rise above 70 percent.
Hunter Water storage levels
We monitor and update current water storage levels daily on our website.
Customers will be notified if the drought response usage charge is introduced.
Sewer charges
Business customers using our sewer services receive a water bill that includes a:
- a fixed sewer service charge, and
- a sewer usage charge – calculated using a Sewer Discharge Factor (SDF)
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Fixed sewer service charge
Fixed sewer service charges help fund the cost of operating and maintaining the sewer network. They are calculated using the following formula:
Meter connection charge (by meter size) x Sewer Discharge Factor percentage
The SDF is an estimate of the proportion of water used that is discharged to the sewer.
A minimum sewer service charge applies to non-residential connections. This is equal to the residential base sewer service charge per year.
Meter size Annual meter connection charges 20mm $958.89 25mm $1,498.27 32mm $2,454.76 40mm $3,835.56 50mm $5,993.06 65mm $10,128.28 80mm $15,342.24 100mm $23,972.25 150mm $53,937.56 200mm $95,889.00 250mm $149,826.56 300mm $215,750.25 350mm $293,660.06
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Sewer usage charge
A sewer usage charge is based on how much water your business uses.
Usage charge
Usage charge per kL (1000 litres) Sewer usage charge
$0.77
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Sewer discharge factor
What is the Sewerage Discharge Factor percentage?
The Sewer Discharge Factor (SDF) percentage is used to calculate fixed service and sewer usage charges for non-residential properties.
How is the SDF percentage determined?
The SDF is divided into five usage bands
Each property is assigned to a band based on how it uses water. This determines how much of that water is likely discharged to the sewer system as wastewater.
Each band has a midpoint allocation
The midpoint helps keep usage charges consistent for all customers within the same band.
The banding methodology allows for fairer pricing by accounting for differences in discharge volumes – even among similar business types.A small number of large industrial customers may need a dedicated meter to measure actual wastewater discharge to the sewer system.
Category SDF band Midpoint of band
Deemed discharge flows Customer type 1
0%
0%
No discharge to the sewer system
No connection to the sewer system
2
1 - 25%
10%
A small proportion of water is discharged to the sewer
Nurseries, market gardens
3
26 – 50%
35%
Around half of the water is discharged to the sewer
Licensed clubs with catering, venues with external watering (e.g. bowling greens)
4
51 – 75%
60%
A significant proportion of water is discharged to the sewer
Public swimming pools with toilets/showers, facilities with large external watering areas
5
76 – 100%
85%
Most – if not all – water is discharged to the sewer
Restaurants, hotels
Charges for specific services
These charges apply only in certain situations.
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Recycled water charges
Recycled water (also known as dual reticulation) means your property is supplied with both standard drinking water and recycled water.
Hunter Water currently operates two dual reticulation schemes – at Gillieston Heights and Thornton North (Chisholm).
In addition to the water and sewer service charges, dual reticulation customers pay a recycled water service charge and a recycled water usage charge.
Usage charge Usage charge per kL (1000 litres) Recycled water usage charge
$2.94
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Non-residential stormwater drainage charges
Hunter Water maintains stormwater networks in parts of Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and Cessnock to help reduce flood risk in high-impact areas.
We typically own and manage large, concrete stormwater drains, while smaller local drains are maintained by local councils.
Only properties located within catchment areas connected to Hunter Water’s stormwater network are charged for stormwater drainage.
If your business is within one of these catchment areas, the following charges apply annually based on your land parcel size.
Non-residential drainage charges Land size Annual charge Small
< 1,000 m2 $112.26 Medium 1,001 to 10,000 m2 $366.64 Large 10,001 to 45,000 m2 $2,331.80 Very Large
> 45,000 m2 $7,408.69 -
Trade waste fees
We are committed to protecting our environment, which includes making sure trade wastewater is safely and responsibly managed.
If your business disposes of trade waste, specific charges may apply.
Trade waste fees by agreement type (GST Free)
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Miscellaneous services
On top of our general services, we offer a mix of miscellaneous services so that we can meet the needs of all of our customers. See what additional options are available to you and their accompanying fees as stipulated by IPART.
In addition to our core services, we offer a range of miscellaneous services to meet the varied needs of our customers.
See what extra services are available and the fees that apply.
How to request an SDF review
You can request a review of your Sewer Discharge Factor (SDF) percentage if you think:
- your property is in the wrong category, or
- the current category does not accurately reflect how your property uses water
Step 1: Check for a category error
If your property’s use has changed (for example, from a nursery to a restaurant), you may be in the wrong SDF category.
To request a review, email us with your details and documents that confirm how the property is currently used.
Step 2: If your category is correct but the SDF seems too high
If the classification is correct but the estimated discharge level does not match your actual use, follow these steps:
Submit your review request in writing
You can email us or send your request to:
Manager Retail Services
PO Box 5171 HRMC NSW 2310
Consider installing sub-meters
At your own expense, you may install sub-meters to separately measure:
- Water discharged to the sewer
- Water used in production or external uses (e.g. irrigation)
Step 3: We verify the setup and collect data
We will inspect the meters to confirm they accurately isolate internal and external usage. We will then collect data for 12 months to allow for seasonal changes.
If the results show your property should be in a different SDF category, your percentage will be adjusted to the midpoint of the new band.