Water bubbles out of the pit in my Seaford yard at high tide. Is my drain blocked?

Not necessarily. Frankston City's flood plan says high tides can stop stormwater drains emptying and storms can push water back up around pits. If it happens in light rain too, have your pipe checked.

Who looks after the sewer in Seaford?

South East Water, up to the inspection opening near your boundary. The pipe from there to the house is the owner's.

Seaford plumbers: stormwater, high tides and flat ground

Plumbers in Seaford Flat land drains slowly.

Frankston City Council's flood plan says Seaford sits on the old Carrum Flats, reclaimed marsh and wetland, so water spreads and moves slowly. When a pit overflows here, the cause isn't always a blockage on your land. Tell us the problem and we'll match it with a licence-checked plumber who specialises in drainage.

Seaford: facts from Council and the Census

Reclaimed marsh

Council's plan says Seaford and parts of Frankston are on reclaimed marsh and wetlands, with flat terrain and slow-moving floodwater.

Tides back up the drains

A high or incoming tide in Port Phillip Bay can stop stormwater drains emptying well, and big storms can push water back up around pits, most notably along Kananook Creek.

Semis and townhouses

At the 2021 Census, 23.2% of occupied homes in the suburb of Seaford were semis, terraces or townhouses, against 13.9% across Victoria. 32.9% were rented.

South East Water

Seaford is on South East Water's supply list, and Frankston City Council's wastewater plan names it as the water corporation for the municipality.

When the pit overflows in a storm

Council's plan describes two kinds of overflow. In one, the network itself backs up because the tide is high and rain is heavy. In the other, blocked or undersized drains surcharge and water runs over the ground.

If water rises out of your stormwater pit in a big storm at high tide and drains away afterwards, the street system may be the cause. If it overflows in light rain, suspect your own pipe and get a stormwater specialist to look. Either way, clear leaves off grates before the summer storms.

Summer downpours

Frankston City's plan says short, intense rain, mostly in summer, brings flash flooding and overland flow once it falls at more than 20mm an hour for an hour or more. Melbourne Water notes that roof gutters, downpipes and the pipes on your land are the owner's to maintain, so keep them clear and connected.

Sewer pipes in Seaford

South East Water's part of the sewer ends at the inspection opening, the connection point it says is often near the boundary. Everything upstream of it is yours. In a group of townhouses, a combined drain serving several homes is privately owned, and South East Water isn't responsible for shared private pipes in an owners' corporation.

What we would do

Keep a note of when your Seaford drains overflow: the date, the rain and whether the tide was high. That record helps a drain specialist tell a network backup from a fault in your own pipe, and saves paying to clear a drain that isn't blocked. When you're ready, pass us the job and a licence-checked plumber who does drainage can take it on.