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Emergencies
Stormwater & drainage
We have responsibility for the maintenance of all Council owned stormwater drainage.

With more than 1589 kilometres of drains to manage across our municipality the stormwater collection system is located within roads reserves and easements and is made up of a network of structures including pipes pits channels flood retarding basins and litter traps.

Household and property drains are owned and maintained by property owners.  Should you wish to carry out works on private drainage systems we recommend that a qualified plumber be used.

Drainage maintenance

This includes drains and pits within streets and designated easements on private property.

It is advised that residents do not attempt to lift or move any stormwater or gross pollutant trap lids under any circumstances due to the inherent danger associated with this task.  Pit lids moved by individuals can cause personal injury as well as further damage to our assets.

Property owners are responsible for the maintenance of household drains up to the point where they connect into the kerb and channel.

Flooding

Some areas within our municipality are at risk of flooding.  Flood studies continue to be carried out on our major water courses to determine the likely extent of flooding in the event of a severe storm.

While general flooding enquiries may be made by contacting our Customer Service team specific information relating to individual properties cannot be provided in this way.  This is because flooding may affect adjoining properties quite differently for example there are several blocks of units within the City of Greater Geelong where only one unit is subject to flooding.

To apply for specific flooding information for a property you need to complete a building information request form.  A copy of the property title which includes a plan showing the location of the property together with a signed Plan of Subdivision including all pages are required for this application.

Soak on site/water sensitive urban design (WSUD)

Alternate approved arrangements to soak on site must be agreed to by our Council engineer. You can contact us for further information.

Erosion problems

Report drainage or flooding issues to us for erosion within Council reserves caused by stormwater runoff. 

Erosion issues arising from sewage leaks must be reported to Barwon Water for actioning.

Accessibility to assets

As the property owner you are required to ensure that any stormwater pits/structures within your property have a ready access as we may require access to these assets within an easement without warning.

When landscaping your property you need to ensure that you do not cover any drainage assets and that tree planting considers the location of pipes.  Tree root intrusion into pipes (both your own pipes and ours) is our biggest drainage issue.

  • You need to contact a plumber if you believe you have damaged or have a blocked pipe belonging to the property. We can help if you think the blockage is due to a City owned stormwater pit or blocked stormwater pipe.
  • We maintain the larger City owned drainage pits and pipes that may serve more than your property.  Pipes that only serve your property are your assets to clean and maintain.
  • You may collect stormwater run off provided you seek the advice of a plumber or a qualified statutory authority. For further information please refer to our Stormwater Harvesting Policy.
  • Regular clearing of gutters/spouts and driveway pits should help to prevent blockages and allow stormwater to disperse effectively.
  • All our pits within the road reserve are checked or cleaned regularly.  All other pit and pipe cleaning is carried out when identified.