Water Billing & Leaks

If you receive a higher than expected water bill this could be due to a number of reasons which include:

• Extra people are in your household visiting during the reading period.
• Increased watering of the garden or establishing new lawns/gardens.
• Dripping taps.
• Refilling a swimming pool.
• An incorrect water meter reading.

If you can not explain why there may be an increase in your account, you may have a hidden water leak.

The following steps will determine if you may have a leak in your water pipes.

1. Turn off all automated watering systems, make sure no water is being used and check your water meter to see if the numbers are moving or if you can hear the meter ticking. The meter should be stationery or silent if no water is being used.
2. Read your meter last thing at night and first thing in the morning during times no water has been used to see if your meter reading has moved.
3. Check outside the property for an isolated patch of green grass, unusual wet or damp patches of if there is visible water coming out of the ground.

If you believe you have an issue after the water meter call a licenced plumber to assist you. If there is an issue before the water meter, contact Council on 02 6849 2000.

A licenced plumber can carry out repairs to your private water pipes, but Council is responsible for the pipes up to and including the water meter.

Warrumbungle Shire Council has a Policy (titled Excessive Water Usage Reduction for Breakages Policy) to help with the financial assistance (in some situations) for excessive water bills as a result of an undetected water leak.

The Policy provides an allowance for excessive water usage which may be provided to residential property owners when a breakage occurs that is beyond their control.

An application must be made in writing on the Customer Requests and Complaints Application Form and an assessment will be made by Council officers. The following circumstances are exclusions from receiving financial assistance:

• Situations where the leak is visible.
• Leaks not repaired by a licenced plumber.
• Plumbing that is not compliant with government regulations.
• Vacant land.
• If a consumer is negligent in failing to take action to repair a leak, no adjustment will be made for water lost due to this inaction.

For more information you can access the Policy here(PDF, 123KB).

• Make sure no one is using water to flush toilets or using the shower or no appliances are in use such as the dishwasher and washing machine.
• Write down all the numbers that appear on the meter.
• Fill a standard sized 240 litre domestic garbage bin using a hose with water from a tap inside your property boundaries.
• When the garbage bin is full immediately turn the tap off (the bin will contain 240 litres of water).
• Write down all the numbers that now appear on the meter.
• If the meter is working correctly it should have recorded 240 litres of water usage going through the meter.

If after completing the self test you find your meter is inaccurately recording, you can request a water meter test from Warrumbungle Shire Council.

• We charge a fee for the test which must be paid prior to any testing being carried out.
• If the water meter is found to be faulty then that fee will be refunded as well as your water bill corrected.
• If the water meter is found to be correct the bill will stand and the fee with not be refunded.

The water meter on your property is a shared responsibility between the property owner and Council.

Click here to view the sewerage responsibility diagram for your property.(PDF, 1MB)

• Council is responsible for the water meter and the water service leading up to and including the water meter. Any plumbing after the water meter is the responsibility of the property owner.
• In order to help us read and maintain the water meter, it is the property owner's responsibility to ensure the meter is readily accessible at all times. This means that the area around and above the meter must be kept clear of obstructions and vegetation.
• If you change the ground level around your water meter (by gardening or landscaping, etc) so that the distance from the ground level to the underside of the meter is less than 200mm, then you must have your water meter raised. Contact us for a quote. Once the quoted price is paid, we will raise the water meter to legal height.
• It is the property owner's responsibility to ensure that the meter is adequately protected.
• The cost incurred by Council to repair any damage to the meter or meter point is recoverable from the property owner.

Legally, any repairs up to and including the water meter can only be carried out by our staff. It is an offence for anyone other than Council staff to disconnect or tamper with the water meter or any apparatus fitted to the service line.

If you have a water leak on your side of the water meter it is your responsibility to fix the leak. You can do this by contacting a licenced plumber. An isolation valve is provided on Council’s side of the water meter and you can isolate the water to your property by operating this valve. If the valve does not work then you must contact Council immediately. If you are aware of a leak at your property and the isolation valve does not work and you do not contact Council then you will be liable for the any water consumption that is recorded by your water meter.

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.