Jindalee facts for your plumber
Houses, long-term owners
95.6% of the suburb's occupied homes were separate houses at the 2021 Census. 35.2% were owned outright, 45.2% with a mortgage and 17.8% rented.
Mains under the river
After the 2011 floods damaged water and sewer infrastructure, Urban Utilities ran new mains through a tunnel 10 metres beneath the Brisbane River to Kenmore. The last stage was finished in 2019.
A new sewer to Seventeen Mile Rocks
From July 2020 to September 2021, Urban Utilities drilled in a new sewer pipeline from the Centenary Highway pump station to Seventeen Mile Rocks Road, Jindalee.
Brisbane City Council area
Jindalee is in Brisbane City Council's area, with Urban Utilities as the water and sewer company.
New mains, same house drain
Urban Utilities' upgrades stop at its own network. The pipe from your house to the sewer connection point belongs to you however old it is, and so does the bill for clearing it.
Urban Utilities ranks tree roots as the number one cause of sewer pipe blockages, and says roots often come back to the same pipe once cleared. If yours keep returning, ask a plumber to film the line and talk through a lasting repair, such as pipe relining.
Planting and digging
Urban Utilities suggests keeping figs, bottlebrushes and paperbarks away from pipes and planting at least three metres clear of them. If you don't know where your pipes run, ask Council for a drainage plan before you plant or dig.
Some trees are protected by Council's Natural Assets Local Law even on private land, and the exemptions don't cover building in a significant landscape tree's root zone. Check before roots are cut to make way for a new drain.
If the river comes up
Brisbane City Council's FloodWise Property Report compares a property's January 2011 and February 2022 flood levels where it has them. If sewage came up inside during a flood, Urban Utilities says to call your insurer; it can't clean inside homes.
What we would do
If a Jindalee drain slows or gurgles, have it cleared and filmed in the same visit, so you know whether it's roots, a cracked joint or something flushed. Should the camera show the fault in Urban Utilities' pipe, pay the plumber and lodge the claim in your own name, with the footage and invoice attached. A drain specialist who does camera work is the one to ask for.