Your Sewer Service Explained

A property owner is responsible for maintaining and repairing sewer pipes within their property, up to the junction connection to Council's sewer pipeline. By maintaining your own property's sewer pipes and ensuring that the installation, and any modifications to your pipes, are carried out in accordance with the Plumbing Code of Australia, you will assist in minimising sewer blockages and repair work.

Council provides a range of water and sewer services to the community and has adopted fees and charges in relation to those.

A Yard Gully generally has a loose-grated metal or plastic removable lid to allow sewage to overflow if a blockage has occurred. This should prevent sewage from overflowing inside your house.  All yard gullies should be installed as per AS/NZS3500 by a licenced plumber.

Signs there is a Sewer Blockage include:

• Toilets, basins, baths or tubs are slow to drain.
• Toilets overflow or fill higher than usual.
• Gully-traps in the yard overflow when the toilet is flushed or when basins or baths are released.
• Sewer access pits overflow.
• Odour.
• Gurgling noises occur in property sewer pipes.

Causes of a Sewer Blockage include:

• Rubbish, children’s toys, tennis balls, nappies, clothing, sanitary products, cooking waste, sand, and other wastes not suitable for flushing into the sewer system or putting down the drain.
• Tree roots infiltrating the property pipes.
• Pipes that have been crushed or flattened.
• Pipes that have been poorly installed.
• Illegal connection of stormwater pipes (example roofing downpipes) causing the sewerage system to overflow when it rains.

The only thing you should flush is toilet paper. Never flush wet wipes even if some brads say they are flushable - they aren't.

The Blockage is Likely to be in Council’s Pipes if:

• The overflow is visible beyond your property boundary. For example, from a manhole located on public land.
• Your neighbours are experiencing the same problem.
• There is widespread flooding in your local area.
• You are experiencing a continuous overflow and you are not currently using water on your property.

Property owners are responsible for the private wastewater pipes on their property up to and including where they connect to Council’s pipes (the connection point).

If this is the case, please phone Council on 02 6849 2000 to report the issue. The Warrumbungle Water Team will investigate the Council mains.

The Blockage is Likely in your Private Pipes if:

• Your neighbours are not experiencing a blockage.
• Your drainage is not shared with other properties.
• There is no flooding in your local area.
• You are only experiencing an overflow when using water on your property.

If this is the case, please contact a licensed plumber to clear the blockage in your pipes.

Should the licensed plumber find that your private wastewater pipes have collapsed under a public road or footpath, and we verify that the collapse can’t be repaired without excavating, Council shall repair the collapsed section of pipe at your cost. We can't reimburse you or your plumber for any plumbing costs related to this work.