What's different about Noble Park
Lots of renters
At the 2021 Census, 40.3% of occupied homes in the suburb were rented, against 28.5% for Victoria. 65.0% were separate houses and 18.9% flats or apartments.
Two creeks
VICSES names Mile Creek and Yarraman Creek, both flowing north to south. Short, high intensity downpours are the main flood concern.
No drain plans at Council
Greater Dandenong doesn't hold the location of drains on residential properties, because plumbers aren't required to tell Council where they lay them.
Older layouts, overland flow
Council says recent developments keep overland flows from storms up to 1 in 100 years within the roads. That wasn't always so, and flows may reach properties.
Renting? Urgent repairs come first
Victoria's urgent repairs list includes a burst water service, a blocked or broken toilet system, a gas leak, hot water that isn't working, and a fitting that wastes a lot of water. Tell your rental provider or agent straight away, because urgent repairs must be done immediately.
If they don't respond, you can organise the repair yourself as long as it costs no more than $2,500, and the rental provider must pay you back within 7 days. Work that needs a licence has to be done by a qualified person, so it's a job for a licensed plumber or gas fitter.
February 2011, and since
On 4 February 2011, more than 149 millimetres of rain fell on the area in 28 hours. Many houses were inundated and some roads stayed closed for days, a few for weeks. VICSES also records significant floods in 2013, 2016 and 2017.
Council says blocked pits and pipes can cause overland flooding on their own, so keeping your private drain clear matters even in an ordinary storm.
Finding your drains
With no Council plan of house drains, locating a buried line is the plumber's job, and a CCTV drain inspection can trace it. For sewer information, Council sends owners to South East Water.
New work has steps of its own. A building permit for anything with drainage needs Council's legal point of discharge approval first, and the builder or plumber needs a Road Opening Permit or Stormwater Tapping Permit before connecting to a Council drain.
What we would do
Renters: report the problem to your rental provider or agent first, in writing if you can, and keep a copy. Owners planning work that touches drainage: get the legal point of discharge approval before the building permit stage, not after. Either way, send us the job. Only the plumber who takes it gets your contact details.