Two drains, two destinations
Maroondah draws a hard line between the two systems. Stormwater is rain off roofs and paving. Wastewater from basins, sinks, showers, baths, laundries, toilets and swimming pools must go to the sewer, never into Council's drainage.
So a laundry, outdoor shower or pool that empties into a stormwater pit is connected the wrong way, and a licensed plumber can move it onto the sewer.
Ringwood's plumbing facts
Mainly houses, many renters
At the 2021 Census, 76.0% of occupied homes in the suburb of Ringwood were separate houses and 13.0% flats or apartments. 39.3% were rented.
Your drain, to the discharge point
Maroondah says owners maintain and repair drainage up to and including the point where it discharges into Council's system.
Septic is rare
Council's 2025-2030 onsite wastewater strategy lists 3 Ringwood properties with a system in use, against 22 in Ringwood North.
Low hardness
Yarra Valley Water's Warranwood and Croydon sampling areas, which cover Ringwood, averaged 16 mg/L and 18 mg/L in 2025-26. The guideline is 200 mg/L.
Wet ground that isn't a burst pipe
Not every soggy patch is a leak. Maroondah treats groundwater and seepage as the owner's to manage and doesn't investigate them; sub-surface drainage is the usual answer. A leak detection check rules out a leaking water service first.
Yarra Valley Water's part
Yarra Valley Water owns the meter and stop tap, and it repairs the pipe from the main to the meter. Pipes from the meter to the house are yours. On the sewer side, where its responsibility stops depends on the property, so ask Yarra Valley Water before anyone digs near the main. A blocked private drain is a plumber's job, at your cost.
Our take
If a pit in your Ringwood yard smells of soap or sewage, treat it as a plumbing fault rather than a stormwater one: something is draining into the wrong system. Moving it onto the sewer puts the property back within Council's rules. A licence-checked drainage specialist can trace where each pipe goes, so send us the job.