Who clears a blocked stormwater pit in my Karrinyup street?

Pits and pipes in the street belong to the City of Stirling's network, which it inspects and maintains, including vacuuming out silt at about 800 locations each April and September. The larger main drains are Water Corporation's.

Can I get a flood risk letter for my insurer?

Not from the City of Stirling. It says it has no flood mapping data, and that Water Corporation and the Department of Water don't either, apart from river studies.

Plumbers in Karrinyup: tree roots, street drains and the sewer

Plumbers in Karrinyup Roots and drains.

Karrinyup is in the City of Stirling, which runs the local stormwater network, while Water Corporation runs the main drains and the sewer. The City cuts roots out of its own pipes, and Water Corporation warns about roots getting into yours. Tell us the job and we'll match you with a licence-checked plumber who specialises in that problem.

Karrinyup facts for a plumbing job

Owner-occupied houses

87.0% of occupied homes in the suburb of Karrinyup were separate houses at the 2021 Census. 38.9% were owned outright and 18.2% rented.

Who runs which drain

The City of Stirling's stormwater network has 720 km of pipes, around 29,000 access chambers and collector pits and 220 sumps. Main drains and sewerage in the City are Water Corporation's.

Roots get into the City's pipes too

Stirling runs cameras through its own pipelines to find root intrusion, then removes the roots with high pressure water jets and root cutters.

A common street tree

Brush Box makes up more than 15% of the City's street trees, and was widely planted from the 1940s to the 1980s.

Roots in your own drains

Water Corporation warns that tree roots can creep into wastewater pipes through cracks and rupture water pipes, and that whole sections of pipe often need replacing as a result. A drain specialist can take the same approach the City does: look with a camera first, then decide whether to cut, reline or replace.

Planting a new tree on the verge? Water Corporation asks people to contact Before You Dig Australia first, and its waterwise tree list rates species for how invasive their roots are.

Flood letters and insurance

Some insurers ask for a letter on flood risk. The City of Stirling says it can't provide one because it has no flood mapping data, which it says is common for Perth metropolitan councils. Outside river studies, it says neither the Department of Water nor Water Corporation has that data either.

Whose sewer blockage?

If the blockage is in the property's own connection, up to the junction with the main, clearing it is the owner's cost under Water Corporation's rule. If the plumber finds it in the main, Water Corporation clears it and pays the plumber a standard fee for locating it.

See blocked drains in Perth, CCTV drain inspection and pipe relining in Perth.

What we would do

If the same drain blocks again and again, stop paying for repeat clearing and ask for a camera inspection. It shows whether roots are getting in through a crack or a joint, and exactly where. With that footage in hand, we can match you with a plumber who specialises in relining or replacing just the damaged length.