Lilydale facts that change the job
A hybrid sewer
Yarra Valley Water says its Lilydale sewerage system is finished and ready to use. It combines gravity and pressure sewer, and most properties in the southern area are on pressure sewer.
A connection point at the boundary
Along the pipe route, a connection point was installed just inside the boundary of every property. If you choose to connect, the connection costs are the owner's.
Soil that drains slowly
Yarra Ranges Council's draft wastewater plan says Lilydale's common soil, brown chromosol, has a silty surface that disperses when wet and drains slowly. That can mean extra controls for septic disposal areas.
Houses with mortgages
At the 2021 Census, the suburb of Lilydale was 79.7% separate houses and 18.9% townhouses or semis. 44.5% of homes were mortgaged and 19.0% rented.
Connecting to the new sewer
Start by asking Yarra Valley Water which connection type your property has. Gravity customers approve where the connection point sits on their land. Pressure customers book an appointment to settle where the pressure sewer equipment goes on their property.
The two jobs are planned differently, so get the type confirmed before you collect quotes. A plumber who specialises in sewer work will also want to know where the old septic tank and its drains are, so the new line can avoid them.
Stormwater and easements
Yarra Ranges Council makes owners responsible for all stormwater drainage on their block, plus the drain from the block to the approved point of discharge. If an easement crosses your land, you own and maintain the ground, but the assets in it belong to whichever authority uses it, such as Council or Yarra Valley Water.
So before paying to clear a pipe in an easement, find out whose it is. Our stormwater page covers the common faults.
Water quality and other jobs
Yarra Valley Water's Lilydale sampling area averaged 14 mg/L of hardness in 2025-26, and the Croydon area, which also takes in parts of Lilydale, 18 mg/L. The guideline is 200 mg/L.
For other work, start with blocked drains in Melbourne, a CCTV drain inspection or an emergency plumber.
What we would do
Get the connection type and the connection point location from Yarra Valley Water before anyone quotes, then walk the whole route from the house to that point with the plumber. Show them the septic tank, the old disposal field and any easement on your title. A quote for the full run, including what happens to the old tank, is far easier to compare than a price for the pipe alone.