Hikes of between 5 and 15 per cent were announced on Monday by the water pricing regulator, the Essential Services Commission, to help fund drought relief projects.

Central Highlands Water customers in and around Ballarat, have endured successive annual rate hikes of 5 per cent and above since 2007.

For 2011/2012, it’s a 7 per cent jump, set to cost $66 per year.

Bendigo residents – under Coliban Water – escaped the worst with a 5 per cent increase, expected to cost bill payers up to $46 per year.

However, it comes on top of last year’s monster rate hike of 17 per cent.

Wodonga households will pay slightly more with North East Water granted a 6 per cent increase.

A spokesperson for North East Water said the utility was ”leading the way in Victoria" , allowing customers to control their bills by freezing the waste water charge while increasing the water service charge and rate per kilolitre.

Water bills in Warrnambool are going to be particularly painful.

The city’s water supplier, Wannon Water, has been granted a 13 per cent rate hike, predicted to cost households an extra $120 per year.

Managing director Grant Green defended the increase – read what he had to say by clicking here.

Meanwhile, Northern Grampians Shire Council is pressing ahead with plans to adopt recreational water costs itself to lessen the burden on ratepayers.

“It’s unfair that if you live in inland Victoria, you have to pay to have recreation water but if you’re living on the coast, you can enjoy it anytime you want,” Councillor Kevin Erwin was quoted as saying in The Stawell Times News.