The boundary decides
Gippsland Water supplies Traralgon. It says owners maintain the water pipes and sewer drains inside their boundary, and it repairs blockages or breaks in the connection outside it.
On the water side, the meter is the marker, usually within 1 to 2 metres of the front boundary. Pipes on the property side of the meter are yours; the meter and everything back to the main belong to Gippsland Water.
Tree roots: the main cause of breaks
Gippsland Water says tree roots cause the majority of blockages and breaks in its water and sewer systems. If a tree on your land blocks or damages your sewer drain or its connection, clearing and repairs are at your cost.
So when a Traralgon drain keeps blocking, ask the plumber to find out what's getting in, not just to clear it. Our tree roots page runs through the options, from cutting back to pipe relining.
Latrobe City's stormwater and septic rules
- Landowners install and maintain the stormwater connection that carries water from the house or land into a council drain.
- Every stormwater property connection needs a council works permit.
- Small parts of the municipality have no sewer; Council's 2019 plan counted about 5,000 on-site systems across Latrobe City.
- Installing, altering or using a septic system, or connecting extra fixtures to one, needs a permit under the Environment Protection Act 2017.
Traralgon at a glance
A treatment plant under summer pressure
Gippsland Water says the Traralgon water treatment plant can struggle to meet peak summer demand. It's building a 50 megalitre treated water storage at Clarkes Road to ease that and to supply nearby towns.
Houses, plus some flats
At the 2021 Census, 85.5% of occupied homes in the suburb of Traralgon were separate houses, 9.2% flats or apartments and 4.7% townhouses or semis. 26.0% were rented, a little under Victoria's 28.5%.
Hot water and licences
If your gas hot water dies after 1 March 2027, Victoria requires the replacement in an existing home to be an efficient electric system, a heat pump for example. Working gas units can keep going and be repaired. Nobody has found the rule's legal instrument yet, so check current rules. Eligible owner-occupiers may get a Solar Homes rebate: see our Victorian rebates page.
For any job, ask for the plumber's registration or licence number and check it with the Building and Plumbing Commission. Only licensed plumbers can issue compliance certificates.
Pages for common problems: blocked drains, stormwater, septic systems, leak detection and heat pumps. State rules are on the Victoria page.
What we would do
Work out which side of the boundary the problem is on before anything else. Outside it, Gippsland Water handles the repair; inside it, you need a plumber. For a drain that blocks again and again, pay for a camera inspection that shows roots or breaks, and check whether a nearby tree is behind it before choosing between clearing, relining and replacing.