Dural facts that change a plumbing job
Two councils
Of Dural's 2,745 homes at the 2021 Census, 62.7% sat in Hornsby Shire and 37.3% in The Hills Shire, going by ABS boundary files. Your rates notice says which is yours.
Limited sewer
Hornsby Shire Council's January 2024 submission to the NSW Government names Dural among suburbs with limited sewer (served by the Priority Sewerage Program) or no sewer at all.
Houses, long held
80.3% of occupied homes were separate houses. 44.2% were owned outright, against 31.5% across NSW, and only 14.6% were rented.
Councils approve on-site systems
Hornsby Shire has about 2,900 on-site sewage systems and The Hills Shire around 3,500 on its register. Each council approves the systems in its area.
If your home isn't on the sewer
A septic tank or aerated treatment system needs council approval to install and to keep operating. The Hills Shire Council says it must issue an approval to operate for every existing system in its area. Hornsby Shire Council issues one to new owners when a property changes hands, and its inspection program works through systems in order of risk, starting with a selection of high-risk ones in 2024/25.
Just bought in Dural? Find out which council you're in and whether the system's approval is current. A plumber who specialises in septic systems can check the tank, pump and disposal area and explain what the approval asks of you.
On the sewer, but with limits
Under the Priority Sewerage Program, Sydney Water brought wastewater services to previously unsewered parts of the Shire, sized for what the land was zoned for. Hornsby Shire Council says those services weren't designed for growth beyond that. Planning a granny flat or another bathroom? Raise the sewer connection with your plumber early.
Where you are connected, Sydney Water's usual split applies: your pipes and fittings are yours up to and including the point of connection. For blockages on that line, see blocked drains in Sydney.
What we would do
Before you book, check two things: your rates notice for the council, and the block itself for a tank, treatment unit or irrigation area. If the property is on an on-site system, ask that council for the current approval to operate. The plumber can then quote on the system you actually have, and you won't pay for a sewer camera job on a block that drains to a septic tank.