Burnside facts behind a plumbing job
Five creeks
City of Burnside calls itself 'The City of Creeks': Park Lands Creek, First Creek, Second Creek, Stonyfell Creek and Third Creek all cross it.
Drains sized for a 1 in 5-year storm
Council says much of its underground drainage was designed to that standard, so it should carry up to 80 per cent of a year's rainfall events.
Mostly owners
At the 2021 Census, 42.8% of the suburb's occupied homes were owned outright and 17.2% rented. 70.6% were houses and 25.6% semis or townhouses.
Council trees are protected
Every Council tree, including street trees on the verge, is protected under the Local Government Act 1999, Council says.
When a storm beats the drains
Bigger storms than the drains were built for produce overland flow, and Council says homes in low lying areas and natural gullies are most at risk. It recommends owners consider their own measures, such as strip drains, grate drains and sumps, and keep overland flow paths clear of anything that would push water towards the house.
Water crossing from a neighbour's block is generally a civil matter between the two owners, Council says. For a blocked private stormwater pipe, it suggests calling a licensed plumber. A stormwater specialist can install a grate drain or check a choked line.
Flood records and buying a home
Burnside records properties likely to flood in a 1 in 20 year event or larger on its database, so buyers are told in the Section 7 statement. If you're planning drainage work on a creek-side block, ask Council what its floodplain mapping shows first.
Trenching near a tree
Council's guidance lists mechanical trenching to install underground services, stormwater included, among activities prohibited in a Tree Protection Zone. Any tree 1 metre or more around, measured 1 metre above ground, is now regulated. Council suggests advice from at least a Level 5 (Diploma) qualified arborist before work starts, and Council-owned verge trees are protected too. Relining an old pipe from inside can avoid the trench altogether: see pipe relining in Adelaide.
Sewer, hot water and more
SA Water runs the sewer, but its own rule on where your drain ends and its pipe begins was not something we could read, so ask SA Water if a blockage is near the boundary. For other jobs: blocked drains, tree roots in pipes, hot water and gas fitting. Also in Burnside council: part of Magill.
What we would do
Before winter, walk the path water would take across your block in a downpour and move anything that blocks it. If a stormwater pipe needs replacing near a big tree, get an arborist's view before the plumber quotes a trench. And if your block backs onto a creek, ask Council about its flood mapping before spending on drainage. Then we'll match you with a stormwater specialist for the work.