What shapes plumbing in the Hawkesbury
Frost nights
The Bureau's Richmond RAAF station (records 1993 to 2026) averages 32.1 days a year at or below 2°C and 12.8 at or below 0°C. Its lowest reading is -5.2°C.
Mostly houses
86.8% of occupied homes in the council area were separate houses at the 2021 Census, and just 2.9% apartments. 24.0% were rented.
Sydney Water's plants
Sydney Water runs wastewater treatment plants at Richmond and North Richmond, discharging to Rickabys Creek and, via Redbank Creek, the Hawkesbury-Nepean River.
A big river system
Penrith City Council puts the Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment at about 21,000 km2. The state's May 2024 river flood study runs from near Wallacia through to Brooklyn.
Frozen and burst pipes
At Richmond, nearly all frost falls between May and September, with July the worst month. The pipes at risk are the exposed ones: garden tap lines, pipes on outside walls, pump connections and the lines into a hot water unit.
If a pipe has split, turn off the water at the main stop valve, then open a cold tap to drain what's left in the line. Don't pour boiling water over a frozen pipe. See burst pipes for what happens next.
If you're on Sydney Water's supply, the pipes from its system to your taps are the owner's, so a burst on your side of the meter is your plumber's job. Sydney Water maintains the meter.
Sewer or septic
The plants at Richmond and North Richmond show Sydney Water's sewer reaches parts of the Hawkesbury. If your home drains to it, your pipes are yours up to and including the point of connection. If it drains to a septic tank or treatment system instead, ask Hawkesbury City Council what approval applies before changing anything, and see our septic systems page.
For other work, try emergency plumbers in Sydney or hot water in Sydney. We'll match you with a licence-checked plumber who specialises in leaks and burst pipes, septic or whatever the job is.
What we would do
Before the first frost, walk the property and look for pipes sitting in the open: tap lines, pump connections, the feed to the hot water unit. Lag them with foam insulation, and make sure everyone at home knows where the main stop valve is. If a pipe does burst, shut the water off first and call second.