Pressure management for network efficiency
Pressure management aims to reduce the water pressure in high pressure areas to the standard range of 15 to 100 metres head (mH).
Managing water pressure will help the pipe network last longer and save around 7 billion litres of water every year — the equivalent of 7 Optus Stadiums filled to the top.
This program, being implemented over 10 years, will also help reduce supply interruptions and enable us to provide more consistent pressure during peak demand periods.
Recently completed work
In August 2022, parts of Cannington, East Cannington, Wilson, Maddington, Kenwick, Queens Park and Beckenham were pressure managed. These areas will continue to be monitored.
We focussed on areas where water pressure was very high and residents experience a large number of water interruptions from leaks and breaks in the pipe network. Other factors such as pipe configuration or hills can make an area impractical to implement pressure management.
Find out if you are in a pressure management area
Type your address into the search function of the map below to see if you are in an area being investigated or pressure managed. If we're investigating your area for pressure management, we'll let you know approximately 6 months in advance.
Shaded areas are currently involved in the program. Click on the arrows in the information box for the area you are interested in to know more about the status of pressure management in the area. Yellow areas are pressure managed and blue areas are targeted to be pressure managed in the future.
Contact us
For more information, please email pressure.management@watercorporation.com.au. If you're in a pressure managed area, we don’t expect you to notice any change to your water pressure, but if you do notice a substantial change, please call us on 13 13 75.Frequently asked questions
The process involves isolating a high pressure area from the general water network and installing specialised equipment. This includes advanced pressure control valves to gradually modify the water pressure until an optimum level can be maintained.
This equipment will detect times of higher demand and ensure an increased volume of water is provided at the same pressure.
The water pressure will vary from service to service depending on the pipe network, contours in the land and customer types. However, all pressure managed areas will be designed to deliver a water pressure greater than our required minimum standard of 15 metres head.
Metres head is the measurement used to determine water pressure. It refers to the height (head) that water would rise vertically in a pipe. For example, 25 metres head of pressure would allow water to rise to a height of 25 metres.
This is dependent on a number of factors, including your current water pressure, location of your house and internal plumbing. In our trial suburbs of Rossmoyne, Shelley and Waterford, over half of the residents reported seeing little to no effect on their water pressure.
You may notice a change if you have special or unusual water using devices, such as dialysis machines, reverse osmosis units, water demisters, large aquariums, or if you think you may already have low water pressure. We want to hear from you if you use water for these purposes. Please contact the team on the details provided at the bottom of the page.
If you believe you have a water pressure problem, visit our low pressure page to find out what you can do.
We need to hear from you if you have special or unusual water using devices such as fire hose reels, fire hydrants, fire sprinkler systems or other water fire fighting systems. Please contact the team on 9420 3667 or email pressure.management@watercorporation.com.au.
For more information please refer to our network efficiency and fire services brochure.
Advice from industry experts indicate correctly installed and maintained systems will work with pressures of 20m to 25m, and the majority of our network will receive pressures greater than this.
You may experience reduced “throw” from your sprinklers. We will visit you free of charge if you would like someone to offer advice about the configuration of your garden irrigation system. If your irrigation system operates from a private bore then there will be no change to its operation.
Some appliances may take slightly longer to fill after pressure management has been introduced into your area.
Most hot water systems and dishwashers are designed to work with pressures of 15m to 20m and pressure management will deliver pressures greater than this. You may want to contact the manufacturer of your appliance to seek reassurance.
No. Areas currently receiving low pressure will not receive water pressure management.
This will depend on your business and its location within the identified area. All non-residential customers will be identified from our records and we’ll contact you to outline any potential impacts.