Public land, private land
Rous County Council is the bulk water supplier for the Northern Rivers. Water from Rous's Nightcap plant is topped up by its Emigrant Creek plant for the Lennox Head and Ballina areas. Ballina Shire Council then distributes it.
Council's line is simple: it maintains and fixes pipes and equipment on public land, and property owners fix problems on their property. Meters are typically where the supply enters a property, which makes a leak just past the meter yours. A leak detection specialist can find one without tearing up the yard.
How a plumbing job is approved in Ballina Shire
Owner applies under section 68
For work that needs approval, the property owner lodges a section 68 application. All work must be done by a NSW licensed plumber.
Some jobs skip approval
Emergency works, and like-for-like replacements that add or move no fixtures, don't need it.
Notice of Work
The plumber sends Council a Notice of Work no later than two business days beforehand.
Council inspects
Council must inspect drainage before it's backfilled or covered, and the connection to its sewer main. Inspections are booked at least 48 hours ahead.
Two kinds of water in some streets
Council's Lennox Head and Ballina wastewater treatment plants make recycled water that goes back to properties with dual reticulation. If your home has both drinking water and recycled water connections, make sure any plumber knows which pipe is which before cutting in, and never cross-connect them.
Ballina in figures
Wet, with almost no frost
Ballina Airport AWS, 1992 to 2026, averages 1855.6 mm of rain a year and has logged 282.0 mm in a single day, but just 1.4 days a year at or below 2°C.
More townhouses than most
At the 2021 Census, 71.8% of occupied homes in Ballina Shire Council's area were separate houses and 20.7% semis, terraces or townhouses. 41.3% were owned outright.
Thousands of septic systems
Council counts over 4,000 on-site sewage management systems in the shire.
Buying a property on septic
New owners must apply to Council for an Approval to Operate within two months of the property transfer. When an approval comes up for renewal, a licensed plumber and drainer or a suitably qualified designer completes Council's inspection checklist. Systems near the Richmond River may face extra design requirements. See septic systems.
Checking the plumber
NSW requires a contractor licence for plumbing, drainage and gasfitting whatever the job's value, and lists every licence on the Public Register with its categories and expiry. You should get a copy of the Certificate of Compliance when the work is finished. See NSW rules, and for specific jobs blocked drains, hot water, stormwater or an emergency plumber.
What we would do
For anything beyond a like-for-like swap, ask the plumber up front who is lodging the section 68 application and the Notice of Work, and when Council will inspect. If you're buying on septic, diarise the two-month deadline for your Approval to Operate on settlement day.