Lakes Entrance residents and local tourism businesses will face an average 4.6 per cent tariff increase on their water and wastewater bills from this week, aimed at funding critical upgrades to support the region’s growing peak-season demands.
The price change came into effect on July 1, 2026, translating to a yearly increase of $56.76 for the average residential customer, and $151.27 annually for non-residential commercial accounts. The hike reflects the March Consumer Price Index (CPI) result plus an additional 0.5 per cent, mandated by the organisation’s current Price Submission framework.
East Gippsland Water managing director Michael Wandmaker said the revenue is essential to strike the right balance between service reliability, daily affordability, and long-term water security for the coastal strip’s booming residential and visitor population.
“Providing water and wastewater services across a vast region that covers around 10 per cent of Victoria comes with unique challenges,” Mr Wandmaker said.
“Our focus is on striking the right balance between affordability, service reliability, long-term water security and the investment required to support future generations.”
Because East Gippsland Water operates on a customer-funded model, the corporation emphasised that the local revenue is reinvested directly into maintaining and modernising coastal networks, town treatment systems, and network redundancies capable of handling major seasonal influxes.
With cost-of-living pressures hitting local households and commercial operators alike, the water corporation is encouraging anyone worried about keeping up with payments to access their hardship safety nets.
“We encourage customers who may be experiencing financial difficulty to speak with us as early as possible,” Mr Wandmaker said.
“We have a range of support options available and will work with customers to find solutions that suit their individual circumstances.”
