A blocked sewer on the Central Coast: who to call

Who to call, in order

1. Is it already on Council’s map?Council’s water outages page lists sewer spills among the emergency works it shows on its interactive map. If you notice an issue that is not listed there, the page asks you to report it online or call Council immediately on 02 4306 7900.
2. Does one of Council’s four signs apply?The problem is visible outside your property boundary; your neighbours are having the same problem; your boundary shaft is flooded; or there is widespread flooding in your local area. Council’s guide says the problem may then be Council’s responsibility, and asks you to contact Council immediately.
3. Is there damage or a loss?If so, the guide also recommends contacting your insurer as soon as you can.
4. None of the signs?For a problem with your sewerage system, Council recommends you engage a licensed plumber to deal with it, at your own cost.
5. Still not sure?If you cannot tell who is responsible for a blockage or overflow, the guide asks you to contact Council to discuss it.

Council’s guide says it does not compensate for the cost of a private plumber you engaged on your own to fix a problem that was Council’s responsibility. Nor does it compensate for lost time or lost business caused by a sewerage overflow or incident.

Your share of the sewer

The sewer splits at the point of connection. Council maintains and repairs its own sewerage pipes and other assets leading up to that point. Property owners maintain and repair every sewerage pipe and fitting inside the property up to and including it.

That is a different split from the water side, where Council’s part runs to the point of connection and stops. Whose pipe is it? lays the two side by side.

The overflow gully

One of the owner’s fittings has a job worth knowing. Council’s guide describes the overflow gully as designed to let sewage flow out from its grate, which lowers the chance of an overflow inside your home, and it asks owners to make sure the gully is not obstructed. It also counts the gully among the fittings owners maintain and repair; for a problem with the sewerage system itself, it recommends a licensed plumber.

What usually causes a blockage

Council’s guide names three common causes of sewer blockages:

• things washed down household pipes or flushed down toilets: oils and fats, cooking waste, rubbish, sanitary items, sand, children’s toys, and wipes sold as “flushable”
• tree roots getting into pipes and growing inside them
• stormwater getting into the sewerage network and overloading it.

Why rain can fill a sewer

The sewerage system carries waste from toilets, sinks, showers, baths, washing machines and floor drains. Rain has its own system: the stormwater system, which takes rainwater from roofs and streets, is separate from the sewer.

Council’s guide says all stormwater must be connected to the stormwater system. A stormwater pipe illegally connected into the sewer can overload it in heavy or prolonged rain, and the overflow can come up on your property or your neighbour’s.

Where it all ends up

Once it passes the point of connection, sewage travels through Council’s system to one of eight treatment plants across the Central Coast. For outages on the water side, see When the water goes off; for the hose in the garden, the Water Wise Rules.

For a problem with your own sewerage system, Council’s guide recommends engaging a licensed plumber to deal with it, at your own cost; where one of its signs applies, it asks you to contact Council immediately.