Toronto facts that change the job
Western shore sewer
Hunter Water's Toronto treatment works takes sewage from Teralba to Wangi Wangi on the lake's western side, Toronto, Rathmines, Bolton Point and Marmong Point included. Treated water leaves through the Lake Macquarie Crossing to the Belmont ocean outfall.
Carleton Street drainage
Lake Macquarie City Council listed Carleton Street, Toronto in its 2025-2026 drainage improvement works.
More owners outright, and more renters
In the suburb, 37.4% of homes were owned outright at the 2021 Census against 31.5% for NSW, and 34.9% were rented against 32.6%. Separate houses made up 77.7%, with 14.4% semis or townhouses and 7.5% flats.
A lake that keeps creeping up
Council commissioned reports on lake levels, and the latest found the Belmont gauge rising 3.2 mm a year over the last 37 years and 3.4 mm a year over the last 19. Council says low-lying lakeside communities will increasingly be affected by lake flooding and tidal inundation, and it is preparing Local Adaptation Plans that cover how roads and drainage systems are designed and maintained.
For a Toronto home near the water, that matters when a drain is being replaced or a stormwater outlet sits low. Before major drainage work, get Council's Flood Certificate or Flood Tidal Inundation Certificate, or use its Flood Report Tool, so the plumber is working to the right levels.
When the sewer shaft overflows
Your property has a sewer inspection shaft, a round opening, often with a plastic or metal lid, usually at the lowest point of the block. It can disappear under paving or garden beds, so find it now. If sewage is coming up through it, Hunter Water says to keep clear, keep people and pets away, stop flushing and contact Hunter Water: the blockage may be in its main.
If the shaft is clear and your drains still back up, the fault is probably in your own pipes. The owner is responsible for those right up to Hunter Water's system, and that includes the shaft and the boundary trap.
What we would do
If you're on low ground near the lake, ask Council for the flood levels on your lot before you pay for new drains, and make sure stormwater goes to the legal point of discharge, never into the overflow relief gully. Keep the sewer shaft clear and visible, so a plumber, or Hunter Water, can reach it in minutes.
Pages for Toronto jobs
See blocked drains in Newcastle, stormwater, pipe relining or the wider Lake Macquarie page. Only the plumber who takes your job gets your contact details.