Repair responsibilities
Each property that receives a service from Yarra Valley Water has a connection to the water and sewer mains.
Water main responsibilities
The connection comprises the ‘main to meter pipe’, the stop tap, the water meter and the internal pipes.
The meter and stop tap are owned by Yarra Valley Water. Although the ‘main to meter pipe’ is not the property of Yarra Valley Water, it is our responsibility to repair it. In most cases, we will repair everything on the road side of the meter.
The connection from the meter to the house is the property owners' responsibility if there is a water leak.
Who is responsible for repairs?
- As the main to meter pipe, stop tap and water meter are maintained by Yarra Valley Water, if the leak is at or beyond the connection point to the water main, we are responsible.
- All plumbing from the meter to the house are internal pipes of the property and are owned and maintained by the property owner. So, if the leak or burst is in a home's internal pipes, the property owner is responsible and will need to contact a local plumber.
- Where a property has a private extension between the stop tap and meter, all private extensions are maintained by the property owner.
- If the location of the leak is unclear, Yarra Valley Water will make an assessment to determine who is responsible
What if I call a plumber and the leak is in Yarra Valley Water’s pipes?
If the plumber invoices you for the time spent, we will reimburse the reasonable costs incurred to make the diagnosis.
Download the Water Reimbursement Claim form
Private water mains
Private water mains are water pipe extensions which have been built by customers in the past. They usually do not meet Yarra Valley Water's water reticulation pipe standard and as they are private services, they are the responsibility of the property owners that they service.
Sewer main responsibilities
Each property that receives a sewer service from Yarra Valley Water has a connection to the sewer main.
The connection to the property comprises of a sewer connection point and house connection drain. The sewer connection point and house connection drain is connected by a fitting known as an Inspection Opening (which is sometimes referred to as a 27A). This Inspection Opening may be at surface level or below ground.
Yarra Valley Water’s responsibility of the sewer connection point is dependent on the location of the sewer main and the first Inspection Opening (I.O), which may be above or below ground. Yarra Valley Water and property owner responsibilities for the sewer connection points are outlined below.
Stand-alone residence (sewer main outside the property)
Stand-alone residence (sewer main inside the property)
Combined private plumbing (units, neighbouring properties)
Overflow relief gully, gully vents and gully traps
The overflow relief gully, vent and trap prevents sewage spilling inside your house and is usually located just outside the rear or side wall of the dwelling.
It is the property owner's responsibility to ensure the overflow relief gully, vents and traps are working correctly as a faulty overflow relief gully may impact on the value of any insurance payouts following a sewer spill.
Inspection shaft or boundary trap
If an inspection shaft or boundary trap was originally constructed on the property, the plumbing code states this point should remain at surface level at all times for easy and quick inspection and cleaning of the sewer pipes.
If you call us to clear a blockage and the trap or shaft is buried, the crew will ask you to raise the point as they cannot clear the blockage without it being at surface level. At this time, it is the responsibility of the property owner to engage a local plumber to complete the works. We will then return once the shaft or trap has been raised to surface.
Yarra Valley Water is not responsible for the maintenance of internal pipes and will not provide a reimbursement for internal pipe repairs.