Kiama: what a plumber needs to know
Bombo takes the sewage
Sydney Water's Bombo facility serves Kiama Heights, Kiama, Bombo, Kiama Downs and Minnamurra. It was built in 1984, and Jamberoo's flows joined it in 2005.
Surf Beach rated Poor
In September 2026, Council said Surf Beach water quality was downgraded to Poor. Council linked it to rainfall, urban run-off and aged sewerage infrastructure affected by heavy rain, and will work with Sydney Water on solutions.
A mix of homes
At the 2021 Census, 55.4% of occupied homes in the suburb of Kiama were separate houses, 24.1% semis or townhouses and 19.2% flats. The median age was 52.
Many empty on Census night
16.3% of private dwellings in the suburb were unoccupied, and 16.5% across the municipality, against 9.4% for NSW.
Kiama Council's drainage rules for owners
- Keep your pipes, gutters, downpipes and gully pits working, and gutters free of leaves, rust and holes.
- Get Council approval before connecting to a council stormwater system.
- Never send stormwater into the sewage system.
- Keep any drainage easement on your land clear so water reaches the inlet.
- Accept overflow from neighbouring land, and don't direct yours onto theirs.
- If a sloping block was cut to make a flat yard or house site, build seepage drains to carry water to a stormwater drain.
When Council steps in
Council acts where a concentrated flow crosses onto another property through a structure or drain, or from faulty or missing roof drainage. It won't for natural run-off, water running down driveways or paving, or flows that only happen in exceptionally heavy rain.
Nor will it act on water from stormwater absorption pits used where a building can't connect to Council's system. Council treats those as private drainage problems. Stormwater complaints go to the owner of the property concerned, not Council.
Sydney Water's rules apply
Kiama Council lists Sydney Water for water services and Jemena for gas. On the sewer, you own the private pipes. Your ownership runs to the point of connection. Sydney Water owns the junction. For overflows or a blocked line, see blocked drains in Wollongong; for a new heater, hot water installation.
What we would do
If water pools behind a retaining wall or seeps under the house, get a plumber who specialises in stormwater to check for seepage drains before anything else is built. Follow every downpipe to where it ends, and if one runs into the sewer, have it moved to the stormwater system with Council approval. If the house sits empty, read the meter each visit so a leak can't run for weeks.