Drainage

Details: Written by: Adam Gatt; Published: 14 December 2018; Last Updated: 27 March 2024

Report a drainage problem

Contact Council on 4732 7777 to report problems with drainage on public property including:

a blocked or overgrown drain
a broken cover on a drainage pit
a bad smell coming from a drain

Contact Sydney Water on 132 090 or see the Sydney Water website to report:

water coming up under pressure from a nature strip or road surface, or water constantly on a nature strip/footpath /road when no rain
sewer main line/pit damaged/leaking in nature strip/footpath/roadway or private property.

If you think better drainage is needed in a particular area to help address flooding, please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and include your name, address, phone number and as many details as possible about exactly what and where the drainage problem is, and how often flooding occurs there.

Stormwater management

Council is responsible for stormwater management, which involves transporting rainwater from urban areas to natural waterways. We build and maintain pathways and gutters, and part of the drainage system. We install and empty Gross Pollutant Traps (GPTs) to reduce the amount of litter that gets into the stormwater system.

Common Drainage Line (CDL) / Inter-allotment drainage systems

As per Section 59A of the Local Government Act 1993, the maintenance of a Common Drainage Line (CDL) or inter-allotment drainage systems is the responsibility of all property owners benefiting from the system. To find out exactly where a CDL runs, property owners should retrieve their Section 88B Instrument document, which they should have received upon purchasing their property. If one cannot locate this document, please contact the NSW Land Registry Services - they can assist in retrieving a copy of this Instrument. Here is the link to their website: https://www.nswlrs.com.au/

Council does not maintain CDLs; Council’s responsibility starts from the point where the CDL connects to the Council drainage system on the streets.

In order to conduct any repairs or maintenance to a CDL, property owners will need to engage a licensed plumber to do so. If issues of cost sharing occur between the owners benefiting from the inter-allotment drainage system, mediation can be sought through the Community Justice Centre (phone 1800 990 777 or visit their website at https://www.cjc.justice.nsw.gov.au/ for more information). Otherwise, we suggest to seek private legal advice.

Please also see the following link to a Factsheet we have developed with further information on CDLs:Common Drainage Line Factsheet

Drainage

Report a drainage problem

Stormwater management

Common Drainage Line (CDL) / Inter-allotment drainage systems

Dam Safety Standards Reports