12 January 2026
Goulburn Valley Water (GVW) has issued a precautionary Boil Water Advisory for Longwood and Longwood East customers in consultation with the Department of Health.
These notices were issued on Saturday 10 January on Sunday 11 January respectively.
The Longwood fire shut down Longwood Water Treatment Plant operation, and this has affected water supply to customers. Water is being tankered to a storage tank, which is currently supplying the town
Verification sampling will be used to assess the risk, but at this stage GVW cannot guarantee that the water currently supplied to Longwood and Longwood East customers is fit for human consumption.
Because of this, the Boil Water Advisory is in place until further notice.
A Boil Water Advisory informs people to boil their water for the following uses until GVW confirms the water supply is safe:
- drinking
- preparing beverages
- washing and preparing food
- preparing baby formula
- brushing teeth
- making ice.
Unboiled water can be used for:
- Showering and bathing (avoid swallowing water)
- Flushing toilets
- Washing dishes and clothes
Consuming unboiled water may lead to diarrhoea, cramps, headaches or other gastro-like symptoms. If you are concerned, please contact your local doctor and tell them about this notice.
Infants, children, pregnant women, elderly and immuno-compromised people are at higher risk.
Alternative water sources are available at the Longwood Recreation Reserve:
- tankered water to fill clean, suitable containers between 8am – 4pm
- bottled water at any time
Managing Director Steve Capewell said staff were working around the clock to restore a supply of safe drinking water.
“The Longwood fire is catastrophic, and we know the Boil Water Advisory will be affecting Longwood and Longwood residents - we’re sorry for all our fire-affected customers. We are working hard to ensure that our system can deliver water to Longwood and Longwood East homes that we are certain is safe to drink” he said.
Interruptions to water supply may still occur over coming days as operations staff work to repair the fire-damaged water treatment plant and supply network.
GVW encourages people to share information about the Boil Water Advisory with family, friends and neighbours who may not see this notice.
Information on how to boil water and what it can be used for is available on GVW’s website www.gvwater.vic.gov.au/service-interruptions/incidents
Customers can contact 1800 454 500 (24 hours) for more information or help.