Where Grafton's water comes from
Council's main supply comes from the Nymboida River, part of the Clarence catchment. The river also gravity feeds Shannon Creek Dam, a storage that supplies both the Clarence Valley and the Coffs Harbour region. Council switches to the dam when river flows are low or the water is too cloudy after wet weather.
New connections are done by Council: once one is approved, Council staff connect the property to town water and fit the meter.
Building or extending? Check the flood planning level
Council has adopted interim Flood Planning Levels based on the Lower Clarence Flood Model Update 2022, and they rise most in Grafton and surrounds. New homes and any development with habitable rooms must be built above the level, for applications lodged on or after 1 January 2025.
Existing homes can keep being used as they are. But if a renovation adds habitable rooms, the new floor level, and the plumbing and drainage that serve it, may have to be planned around a higher floor. Talk to Council before you commit to a layout.
Grafton conditions
Sewered town, septic villages
Council provides sewerage to Grafton and South Grafton, among other towns. Villages and rural homes outside those areas rely on on-site systems.
Big rain days
Grafton Olympic Pool recorded 274.3 mm on its wettest day between 1966 and 2015, against a yearly mean of 1083.7 mm. It averaged 5.2 days a year at or below 2°C.
A valley of homeowners
At the 2021 Census, 86.1% of occupied homes in Clarence Valley Council's area were separate houses, and 45.2% were owned outright. 13.3% of private dwellings were unoccupied on Census night.
What to ask a Grafton plumber
- Can I see your NSW contractor licence, and does its category cover this work?
- If this blockage is near the boundary, should we ask Council whose pipe it is before you start?
- For a renovation: have you allowed for the flood planning level when setting drain and fixture heights?
- Who lodges the paperwork with Council, and when will I get the Certificate of Compliance?
- On a rural block: is the septic system approved, and when was it last serviced?
NSW licences and the paperwork
Plumbing, drainage and gasfitting are specialist work in NSW, and a contractor licence is needed to contract for any of it. The NSW Public Register confirms the licence holder, categories and expiry. Drainage jobs need a Sewer Service Diagram, and a Certificate of Compliance follows the finished work. See the NSW page and compliance certificates.
We didn't find a Council page saying where its sewer stops and yours starts, so ask Council when a blockage could be in its pipe. Specialists: blocked drains, stormwater, septic systems, hot water, emergency plumbing.
What we would do
Before planning any extension in Grafton, look up your property's flood planning level, because it shapes where the plumbing can go. For everyday jobs, check the plumber's licence on the Public Register and keep the Certificate of Compliance. If a sewer blockage might be on Council's side, ring Council before paying anyone.