Rowville at a glance
Nine in ten are houses
At the 2021 Census, 91.8% of occupied homes in the suburb of Rowville were separate houses. 45.0% were mortgaged and only 15.1% rented.
Your stormwater until it connects
Knox says runoff from your land is your responsibility until it reaches the authority's pipes, even if it crosses public land or a neighbour's yard first.
The stub is usually yours
Council has no legal duty to maintain household drainage, which it says covers gutters, downpipes, rainwater tanks and, in most cases, the property stub.
Sewer by South East Water
Rowville is on South East Water's supply list, so its sewer and water rules apply.
What Council's flood protection covers
Knox designs its local drains for storms up to a five-year average recurrence interval in residential areas. Bigger storms, from the 10-year to the 100-year event, fall to Melbourne Water's regional system.
Council's flood priorities centre on habitable floor areas, and gardens, yards, garages and sheds are excluded. If your yard goes under in a storm, your own pits, pipes and grading are the place to start. A stormwater specialist can check them.
Connections, approvals and landscape plans
Building or changing the connection from your house to Council's drain or kerb needs Knox's approval, at your own cost, and work in the road reserve or a Council easement can need a permit on top.
On a dual occupancy or unit site, Knox says trees are protected by the plans approved at the time, landscape plans included. If a drain repair means removing one, you need Council's written approval or an amended plan.
On the sewer side
South East Water maintains the sewer up to the inspection opening, usually close to the boundary, and the pipe from there back to the house is the owner's. When a blockage turns out to be on its side, it reimburses fair and reasonable costs, but not if the plumber used CCTV, a high-pressure jet or cleared tree roots, or didn't refer the job to it.
What we would do
When a Rowville drain overflows, ask two questions before paying for anything: is it stormwater or sewage, and is the problem before or after the point where your pipe joins the authority's? Knox's line is the approved point of discharge, and South East Water's is the inspection opening. A licence-checked drain specialist can answer both on site, so send the job our way.