Your water company is the council
Central Coast Council's Water and Sewer team is the delegated water authority for the whole local government area, with water, sewer and stormwater services in one organisation. Its Water and Sewer Customer Charter, revised in September 2026, spells out who looks after which pipe.
Council's part and yours
| Council looks after | You look after | |
|---|---|---|
| Water | The service up to the water meter, including the meter, the meter tap and the pipes and inspection points leading to your connection. | Every pipe and fitting from the meter connection to the house. The charter names garden taps, the hot water service and water tanks. |
| Sewer | The network up to the connection point, and clearing blockages in its own infrastructure. | All pipework from the point of connection, plus an overflow gully kept clear so sewage can't come up inside the house. |
| Stormwater | Investigating water that a neighbour's structure, drain or faulty roof drainage sends onto your land, once its criteria are met. | Roof drainage, gutters, downpipes, stormwater pipes and inlet pits. Every building, sheds included, must drain to a legal point of discharge. |
Sewer trouble? Council comes first
The charter asks owners to contact Council first when a sewer blocks or overflows in the property's own pipework. Council will advise whether a plumber is needed. If the fault turns out to be on your side of the connection, the repair is yours to arrange.
Council also asks you not to dig, build or landscape over or beside its pipes without speaking to it first. That matters before any trench is dug for a drain.
Central Coast facts that change the job
Mostly houses
At the 2021 Census, 78.4% of occupied homes in the Central Coast Council area were separate houses and only 8.7% flats or apartments, against 21.7% across NSW. 34.5% were owned outright.
Not every block is sewered
Some properties have no connection to Council's sewer and treat wastewater on site, for example with a septic tank and absorption trenches. Every such system must be registered with Council and needs an approval to operate. See our septic systems page.
Frost at Gosford, none at Norah Head
The Bureau's Gosford (Narara Research Station) records, 1965 to 2013, show 14.4 days a year at 2°C or colder. Norah Head averages 0.0. If frost reaches your yard, lag any exposed pipes.
Soft water
Council describes its supply as soft or moderately soft. Total hardness averaged 52 mg/L over the year to September 2026, well under the 200 mg/L guideline value.
Licences, notices and inspections
In NSW, plumbing, drainage and gas fitting are specialist work, and any of it calls for a contractor licence whatever the price. The NSW Public Register lists each licence's categories, expiry date, conditions and any suspension, so check it before you agree to a quote.
Inspections here are done by Central Coast Council rather than Building Commission NSW. At least two days before starting, the plumber lodges a notice of work with Council. Within two days of finishing, they submit a certificate of compliance, with a copy to you, and a diagram of any sanitary drainage they laid. Emergency work and minor works, like replacing an existing hot water system, don't need the notice.
Hot water across NSW
A new hot water heater in NSW needs a temperature control device, like-for-like replacements included. The Energy Savings Scheme can take money off a heat pump or solar system, though the figures are indicative and a minimum payment applies. More on our Central Coast hot water page.
Central Coast specialists and suburbs
Start with the job: hot water, hot water repairs, blocked drains, leak detection, a gas fitter or an emergency plumber.
Suburb pages include Gosford, Wyong, Erina, Terrigal, Tuggerah, The Entrance, Woy Woy, Umina and Kincumber.
What we would do
If a toilet or floor waste starts backing up, contact Council before you book anyone, as its charter asks. Council can tell you whether the trouble is in its sewer or your pipes. If it's yours, bring in a drain specialist whose licence you've looked up on the Public Register, and ask for the certificate of compliance and drainage diagram they must give you. Keep both: on the Central Coast, Council holds the other copy.