Brighton third pipe scheme

The Third Pipe Scheme uses non-drinking water to irrigate gardens and reserves in the Butler area. The scheme was taken over by Water Corporation in 2015 from developer, Satterley.

The scheme saves precious drinking water supplies by using water from the local aquifer through five bores. These are connected to properties through a series of pipes to an individual irrigation controller.

Water Corporation maintains the bores, meters and pipes but all residential reticulation systems are maintained by the property owner or tenant. As the water hasn’t undergone treatment, it must only be used for watering your lawn and garden through your irrigation system.

Please do not use this water for drinking, bathing, showering, or any purpose that may result in the water being consumed.


This page is where the Brighton community can learn more about the scheme:

  • View the News Feed for updates in your area.
  • Troubleshoot issues using our FAQs.
  • Read key documents in the Document Library and Important Links.
  • Leave feedback in the Guestbook tab at any time.
  • Access Quick Polls and/or surveys.

Please register today to have your say and get involved in the conversation. We can test ideas, hear your feedback and raise awareness.


How to contact us

For all queries, replacements or complaints please call 13 13 75. It is important that all customer enquiries are managed through 13 13 75 (and not our contractors), to ensure we record your contact and resolve it as quickly and efficiently as possible.

To check your watering days click here or view our FAQs.

The Third Pipe Scheme uses non-drinking water to irrigate gardens and reserves in the Butler area. The scheme was taken over by Water Corporation in 2015 from developer, Satterley.

The scheme saves precious drinking water supplies by using water from the local aquifer through five bores. These are connected to properties through a series of pipes to an individual irrigation controller.

Water Corporation maintains the bores, meters and pipes but all residential reticulation systems are maintained by the property owner or tenant. As the water hasn’t undergone treatment, it must only be used for watering your lawn and garden through your irrigation system.

Please do not use this water for drinking, bathing, showering, or any purpose that may result in the water being consumed.


This page is where the Brighton community can learn more about the scheme:

  • View the News Feed for updates in your area.
  • Troubleshoot issues using our FAQs.
  • Read key documents in the Document Library and Important Links.
  • Leave feedback in the Guestbook tab at any time.
  • Access Quick Polls and/or surveys.

Please register today to have your say and get involved in the conversation. We can test ideas, hear your feedback and raise awareness.


How to contact us

For all queries, replacements or complaints please call 13 13 75. It is important that all customer enquiries are managed through 13 13 75 (and not our contractors), to ensure we record your contact and resolve it as quickly and efficiently as possible.

To check your watering days click here or view our FAQs.

  • Scheme switch-off for Winter

    Winter sprinkler switch off from 1 June, 2022 to 1 September, 2022

    From Wednesday, 1 June 2022 the Brighton third pipe scheme will be switched off for Winter.

    By switching off sprinklers in the metro area and letting the rain take care of our gardens instead, we can save almost 5 billion litres of water over winter.

    Annual winter maintenance program

    While the scheme is switched off over winter, we will carry out our annual maintenance program through our contractor, New Ground.

    This planned maintenance work may require entry into your property. All Water Corporation employees and contractors enter private property with care and caution and endeavour to minimise disruption where possible.

    To protect your reticulation system and controller box while the scheme is off, our contractors will switch the irrigation controller on the side of your house to ‘off’. Please keep your irrigation controller set to ‘off’ for the remainder of the winter switch-off period.

    If you are no longer using the third pipe scheme, we encourage you to keep your controller to ‘off’ mode.

    We will send you another notification in August as we prepare to switch on the scheme for spring.

  • Scheme switch-on for Spring

    Throughout August, we will be checking and resetting irrigation controllers connected to the Brighton Third Pipe Scheme. This way the system will be ready to water gardens when it heats up in spring. We encourage everyone to keep their irrigation controller switched off as long as possible and operate the system manually until gardens need regular watering.

    If you are no longer using the third pipe scheme, we encourage you to keep your controller in ‘Off’ mode.

    Routine maintenance

    We have just undertaken some routine maintenance of the system that involved cleaning out the pipes and bores ready for spring.

    Test your sprinklers

    From Wednesday 1 September, you will be able to turn on your irrigation controller by switching the mode from ‘Off’ to ‘Auto Run’. The timer will be programmed for your scheduled watering days and times.

    As with all irrigation systems, a long period of inactivity may cause blockages to sprinkler heads or damage to pipe work.

    You can test your sprinklers on Saturday and Sunday mornings from 9:30am to 11am.

    For all Brighton third pipe scheme queries, replacements or complaints please contact 13 13 75 or visit watercorporation.com.au/thirdpipe

  • Scheme switch-off for winter

    CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.

    Winter sprinkler switch off from 1 June, 2021 to 1 September, 2021

    From Tuesday, 1 June 2021 the Brighton third pipe scheme will be switched off for Winter.

    By switching off sprinklers in the metro area and letting the rain take care of our gardens instead, we can save almost 5 billion litres of water over winter.

    Annual winter maintenance program

    While the scheme is switched off over winter, we will carry out our annual maintenance program through our contractor, New Ground.

    This planned maintenance work may require entry into your property. All Water Corporation employees and contractors enter private property with care and caution and endeavour to minimise disruption where possible.

    To protect your reticulation system and controller box while the scheme is off, our contractors will switch the irrigation controller on the side of your house to ‘off’. Please keep your irrigation controller set to ‘off’ for the remainder of the winter switch-off period.

    If you are no longer using the third pipe scheme, we encourage you to keep your controller to ‘off’ mode.

    We will send you another notification in August as we prepare to switch on the scheme for spring.

  • Scheme switch-on for spring

    CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.

    Throughout August, we will be checking and resetting irrigation controllers connected to the Brighton Third Pipe Scheme. This way the system will be ready to water gardens when it heats up in spring. We encourage everyone to keep their irrigation controller switched off as long as possible and operate the system manually until gardens need regular watering.

    If you are no longer using the third pipe scheme, we encourage you to keep your controller in ‘Off’ mode.

    Routine maintenance

    We have just undertaken some routine maintenance of the system that involved cleaning out the pipes and bores ready for spring.

    Test your sprinklers

    From Tuesday 1 September, you will be able to turn on your irrigation controller by switching the mode from ‘Off’ to ‘Auto Run’. The timer will be programmed for your scheduled watering days and times.

    As with all irrigation systems, a long period of inactivity may cause blockages to sprinkler heads or damage to pipe work.

    You can test your sprinklers on Saturday and Sunday mornings from 9:30am to 11am.

    For all Brighton third pipe scheme queries, replacements or complaints please contact 13 13 75 or visit watercorporation.com.au/thirdpipe


Page last updated: 19 May 2022, 11:49 AM