Property owners wanting information about water, sewerage and stormwater need to know what plumbing zone they are in because associated services and facilities are part-managed by TasWater.
Contact TasWater if:
- water and sewer issues are outside a property boundary;
- stormwater issues that are outside the boundary of a property in a combined plumbing zone.
Contact our Infrastructure and Operations Department if:
- you believe your property is in a combined plumbing zone;
- stormwater issues that are outside the boundary of a property in an area other than the combined plumbing zone.
Stormwater Connections
In urban areas, stormwater from private property travels to the public network through a stormwater connection.
Some stormwater flows directly to the underground infrastructure and in other locations to kerb. In some areas of the West Coast the sewage and stormwater travel within the same pipe network, called the combined drainage system.
Property owners are responsible for maintenance of stormwater connections to their boundary.
Outside of the property boundary West Coast Council or TasWater are responsible for maintenance, depending if it is a combined drainage system area.
If you are experiencing issues with your stormwater connection outside of your property boundary, or if you require a new stormwater connection into your property, please contact Council’s Infrastructure and Operations team.
Stormwater Mapping
As required under Section 12 of the Urban Drainage Act 2013, a council that provides stormwater services must maintain and make publicly available maps showing all public stormwater systems within the urban area of its municipal area, including those portions of waterways that have a primary role in transporting stormwater.
Stormwater infrastructure is available as an overlay on West Coast Council’s Municipal Map:
Frequently Asked Questions
Stormwater is rainwater runoff and generally starts as rain falling on areas such as roofs, driveways, roads and footpaths.
Some rainwater soaks into the ground, evaporates or is captured in rainwater tanks.
Most rainwater ends up in stormwater drains, which flow into our natural waterways.
West Coast Council has a large stormwater network of pipes, most of which are out of sight under properties, roads, footpaths and land.
Stormwater can cause flooding and erosion, or can collect debris, dirt and pollutants as it flows.
Council’s network of pipes and pits collects stormwater in the streets, with the stormwater flowing down to a water course such as a creek or river.
In major storm events, the pipe network may not be able to take all of the water, resulting in stormwater flooding through properties.
As stormwater flows into natural waterways, pollutants caught in the stormwater can impact the health and natural beauty of our waterways.
- Know your stormwater/overland flow flood risk and develop an appropriate flood plan based on your flood risk.
- Reduce the quantity of stormwater runoff at home by increasing the area of porous surfaces (e.g. garden beds, lawn).
- Ensure your property is compliant – stormwater pipes, gutters, pits and any other components of the stormwater systems on private property must be in good condition and comply with requirements.
- Report Issues – if you see a problem that requires attention, report it
- Scheduled maintenance – including street cleaning, pipe and pit inspections and maintenance;
- Reactive investigations – as issues arise, actioned under West Coast Council’s customer service charter;
- Development control and land use planning – management of stormwater quantity and quality through development controls and land use planning; and
- Targeted projects – projects to reduce flood risk and/or water quality impacts undertaken at a neighbourhood level and prioritised according to severity