Where does the stormwater from my Leopold roof end up?

It depends which side of the Bellarine Highway you're on. Council's structure plan says runoff from the north typically drains to Corio Bay and from the south to Reedy Lake.

How do I find out if my Leopold home is on sewer?

Ask Barwon Water. Leopold has four low-density pockets zoned for lots that can manage their own wastewater, so some lots may not be connected. If a septic permit was issued, Council may hold the plans for the registered owner.

Who fixes a blocked drain on my Leopold property?

You do, through a licensed plumber, if it's your private stormwater or sewer line. Council looks after its own pipes, pits and drains, and Barwon Water its mains.

Leopold plumbers: low-lying land, stormwater and sewer

Leopold, from Council's plans and the Census

Sheet water in the west

Council's 2011 structure plan says the low-lying, flat land on the township's western edge is prone to extensive sheet water in significant rain, with poor natural drainage.

Two places your runoff goes

Stormwater from north of the Bellarine Highway typically drains to Corio Bay. South of it, runoff drains to Reedy Lake, a Ramsar-listed wetland.

Not every lot is sewered

Leopold has four pockets of Low Density Residential zoning. That zone is meant for lots that can treat and keep all their wastewater on site where there's no reticulated sewer.

Settled, owner-occupied houses

At the 2021 Census, 92.2% of Leopold's occupied homes were separate houses and 1.2% were other dwellings, three times Victoria's 0.4%. 37.4% were owned outright and 18.1% rented.

Water and sewer in Leopold

Barwon Water told Council, for its 2011 structure plan, that Leopold's reticulated water comes from the Pettavel Basin. For the sewer, ask Barwon Water where its pipe stops and yours begins; we couldn't read its own page on that. Council's drainage pages say Barwon Water is responsible when its broken water or sewer pipes cause seepage.

If you're in one of the low-density pockets, check whether your lot is sewered before anyone works on a slow drain. A septic system needs a Council permit to install or alter it, and the owner must keep it maintained. Our septic systems page has more.

Stormwater on flat ground

Your gutters, downpipes, pits and buried stormwater pipes are yours up to and including the legal point of discharge. Where the natural drainage is poor, keeping them clear matters more.

Anything washed into a pit ends up in the bay or the lake, so keep paint, oil and building waste out of it. Looking ahead, the structure plan says sea level rise will almost certainly affect drainage outfalls into Lake Connewarre and Port Phillip Bay.

What we would do

If water sheets across your yard in heavy rain, ask a drain specialist to check that every downpipe and pit actually reaches the legal point of discharge and isn't silted up before you pay for new drains. On a low-density lot, confirm sewer or septic first. And if a wet patch appears in dry weather, think leak, not stormwater.

Plumbers in Leopold Between the bay and the lakes.