Who fixes a blocked drainage easement across my block?

The owners who benefit from or are burdened by the easement maintain it. The Hills Shire Council says it won't usually become involved in neighbour disputes over blocked inter-allotment drainage, so talk to the other owners and get a plumber to find the blockage.

Do I need an approval to operate after buying a home with a septic system?

Yes. The Hills Shire Council issues one for every existing system, and new owners have a set period to apply. Ask Council about the twelve month exemption, which applies only in certain circumstances.

Plumbers in the Hills District: stormwater, septic and recycled water

Plumbers across the Hills District Drainage is on the owner.

We use 'Hills District' here for The Hills Shire Council's area. Council is clear that the stormwater on your block is yours to manage, all the way to a legal point of discharge. Tell us what's going on and we'll match you with a licence-checked plumber who covers the Hills and specialises in stormwater, septic or the job you have.

The Hills Shire facts behind a job

Mostly houses

81.2% of occupied homes in the Shire were separate houses at the 2021 Census. 9.8% were apartments and 20.4% were rented.

Your stormwater, your pipe

Council says owners must maintain the stormwater pipe and outlet from their property to a legal point of discharge, and keep gutters, downpipes and pits working.

On-site sewage systems

Council's register holds around 3,500 on-site sewage management systems, and every existing one needs an approval to operate.

Recycled water near Rouse Hill

Sydney Water's Rouse Hill plant supplies recycled water to homes and businesses in the Rouse Hill area for non-drinking use.

Water from the block next door

On a sloping street, rain runs downhill onto the next property. The Hills Shire Council's rule is that lower properties must accept natural flow from higher ones, and nobody may divert or concentrate it onto a neighbour.

Inter-allotment drainage lines run through easements across several blocks. The owners who benefit from or are burdened by the easement maintain it, and Council is only responsible where the Section 88B Instrument lists it as a benefiting authority. Council won't usually step into neighbour disputes over a blocked one.

Septic and aerated systems

If your property runs to a septic tank or aerated system, Council must have issued an approval to operate. Buying a property with one? New owners get a set period to apply, three months under the regulation, and a twelve month exemption may apply in some cases. A plumber who works on septic systems can check it's working before you lodge.

Recycled water

Some homes in the Rouse Hill area get recycled water from Sydney Water for non-drinking use. If yours does, tell the plumber before any work on taps, toilets or garden lines so the two supplies stay apart.

For blocked or broken lines see blocked drains in Sydney and our stormwater page. We'll match the job with a licence-checked drain and stormwater specialist.

What we would do

If water pools against your house after rain, start at the top: gutters, downpipes, then the pits. If those are clear and it still ponds, have a plumber camera the stormwater line through to the legal point of discharge, because Council puts that whole run on the owner. If the water comes from a neighbour's block, talk to them before building anything that redirects it.