Umina facts that matter to a plumber
Mostly houses
At the 2021 Census, 76.7% of occupied homes in the suburb of Umina Beach were separate houses, 13.6% semis or townhouses and 7.5% flats.
A third rented
32.9% of homes were rented, close to the NSW figure of 32.6%. 9.3% of private dwellings were empty on Census night.
Peninsula sands
Council says the coastal sands of the Umina-Woy Woy Peninsula support the endangered Umina Coastal Sandplain Woodland, found at reserves such as Hillview Street Reserve and Umina Oval.
Groundwater below
Council holds a licence to draw groundwater from the shallow aquifer at Woy Woy Peninsula. Its Woy Woy borefield dates from the millennium drought and is kept as a drought fallback.
Rainwater tanks and the mains
Council says backflow devices are installed on homes where a rainwater tank can be topped up from the town supply, so tank water can't flow back into the mains. Council's charter also makes water tanks the owner's to install, maintain and repair.
So a tank that tops up from the mains is two jobs in one: the pump and tank, and the backflow device. Our pages on rainwater tanks and backflow testing explain what a plumber checks.
Milky, rusty or smelly water
Council says milky or white water usually means air trapped in the pipes. After a supply interruption it suggests opening the cold taps slowly to let the air out, and holding off on washing machines and hot water systems until the water is back.
A rotten egg smell only at the hot tap points to the hot water system. See Central Coast hot water repairs.
Flood checks on the peninsula
Council has consulted on a Woy Woy Peninsula Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan. Whether flood controls apply to your Umina block shows up in Chapter 9 of a Section 10.7 Planning Certificate, or on Council's online flood map.
What we would do
If your tank tops up from the mains, ask the plumber to look at the backflow device whenever the pump is serviced, not just when something fails. After a water outage, run the cold taps slowly before starting the hot water or washing machine. And before extending or raising the house, get a current planning certificate and read the flood chapter.