Bushfires and your water supply

Bushfires happen every summer. If you live in or near bush, fire is a real risk to you and your family. When developing your bushfire survival plan, you need to consider what you will do and what you will need.

If your plan is to stay and actively defend your home from fire, you need to have an independent water supply, because public water supply and water pressure cannot be guaranteed.

Secure your independent water supply

It is likely that you will lose water and power supplies during a bushfire. If you are planning to actively defend your home, you must have at least 20,000 litres available as an independent water supply. This water should be stored in a concrete or steel tank.

Additional water storage options around your property include:

  • Rubbish bins (wheelie bins) and storage bins
  • Baths, laundry tub, sinks, basins, buckets and drums
  • Troughs or garden ponds
  • Swimming pool and dams

Pumping your water

To draw on your 20,000 litre water supply, you will need:

  • A generator (>1.5 kVA) to drive a home pressure pump, or a petrol or diesel firefighting pump
  • Pumps and generators that are able to pump 400 litres per minute and are shielded from high temperatures
  • Hoses from the pump that are long enough to reach all corners of the home, and fitted with a nozzle able to deliver 30 to 100 litres per minute
  • Sufficient fuel or diesel to run your pumps and generators


We are prepared for bushfire season. However, we cannot guarantee that water pressure or water supply will be maintained in the event of a bushfire.

Loss of electricity may cause pumps that transfer water to our storage tanks to fail. We may not be able to access water supply or respond to system failures in areas that are deemed by FESA or Western Power to be unsafe for our staff to enter.

Our planning

We prepare for bushfire season by readying our equipment and systems to cope with extreme conditions.

This includes:

  • Clearing of land and access tracks within and around our water pumping stations, storage areas and catchments
  • Transportable generators available for deployment as required to water pumping stations
  • Access to water carters to transport emergency water supplies should the need arise
  • A public education campaign in collaboration with FESA

We’re working with FESA

The Water Corporation works closely with FESA in the event of a bushfire so that:

  • Firefighters can quickly locate fire hydrants
  • Firefighters have the best access to available water supplies
  • Disruptions, or low pressure to customers connected to our system are minimised

Despite these efforts, during a bushfire there will be a reduction in water pressure and it is likely that public water supply tanks will empty.

Drinking water

We recommend you keep a supply of drinking water available throughout summer in case your water supply is interrupted.

Bushfire contacts and information

For more information about preparing your family and home for bushfire season, visit the Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia (FESA) website, www.fesa.wa.gov.au

Others contacts:

Life threatening emergency  000
State Emergency Service (SES) assistance  132 500
FESA information line  1300 657 209
Main Roads road closure information  138 138
DEC www.dec.wa.gov.au
ABC local radio
Media outlets across the State