Shellharbour facts for a plumbing job
The suburb
At the 2021 Census, 68.4% of occupied homes in the suburb of Shellharbour were separate houses and 15.8% flats or apartments. 32.7% were rented, and the median age was 46.
The city
Across the Shellharbour City Council area, 79.7% of homes were separate houses and just 4.7% flats, and 36.7% were mortgaged.
Sewage out past Barrack Point
Sydney Water's Shellharbour facility gives wastewater secondary treatment, then discharges it through an offshore outfall 130 m from Barrack Point.
No local flood study yet
Council's page for the Shellharbour and Shell Cove catchments, about 5.5 square kilometres, says no study of local catchment flooding has been done. It was last updated in 2019.
Stormwater goes straight out
Council explains that urban stormwater runs down gutters and drains into ponds, lakes and rivers without treatment, and much of it reaches the ocean. That is why only rain belongs in it.
The reverse matters too. Sydney Water says rain getting into wastewater pipes overloads them, and that downpipes wrongly plumbed into private sewer pipes are one of the most common ways in. A plumber can trace where each downpipe goes.
When the blockage is Sydney Water's
Sydney Water owns the junction on its sewer main. The private pipe, connection point included, is the owner's.
If your plumber finds the blockage in Sydney Water's pipes, they must report it while on site. They get a job number, which has to go on your claim. Sydney Water then considers reasonable out-of-pocket costs, up to 2 hours of the plumber's work. Keep every invoice. A claim can take up to 8 weeks.
Trees in a strata complex
In Shellharbour City, pruning or removing a declared tree needs Council approval: one at least 5 metres tall, with a trunk of 30 cm or more, or with hollows. On strata land, talk to the strata manager or body corporate first. Their written approval, stamp or seal goes in with the application, and Council asks you to tag the trees so its officer can find them.
For roots in a drain, see tree roots in drains and blocked drains in Wollongong.
What we would do
If a drain blocks, check whether the neighbours have the same trouble or sewage is spilling outside your boundary. Either points to Sydney Water's pipes. Book a drain specialist and ask them to report a fault in Sydney Water's pipes on the spot, so you get the job number for your claim. While they're there, have them confirm no downpipe runs into the sewer.