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Stormwater drains and sewerage

Stormwater is the name for the rainwater that runs off roofs, roads, footpaths and other surfaces. This water flows into a stormwater drain. It then flows into our creeks, rivers and water catchments, and ends up in the ocean.

Our stormwater drainage network is a combination of drains, pits, pipes, open channels and natural waterways. We outline the ongoing development, management and maintenance of this network in the Merri-bek Drainage Asset Management Strategy (PDF 1Mb).

Stormwater drains

Stormwater drains are not all owned by Council. Individual property owners and Melbourne Water also own some stormwater drains. The owner of each drain needs to look after and clean their own drains.

We look after and clean our stormwater drains. This includes cleaning kerb and channel drains, drainage pipes and pits in the street and most (but not all) drains in drainage easements.

We have stormwater quality targets and sustainable water management programs to protect our waterways. 

Find out more about stormwater quality targets

My building works may impact the Council-owned drainage system

Sometimes during building works you may need to connect to, or interfere with, our drainage system. If you do, you need to get a Drainage Connection permit.

This permit lets us know you are doing this work, and it means we can check the drainage system after you complete your works.

Find out more about Drainage connection permits

I want to report an issue with a stormwater drain

If you receive advice from a plumber that there is a blockage, break, or flood in one of our Council-owned stormwater drains please contact us. You can contact us or call us on 9240 1111 to report the issue.

Our drains flow either to a creek or a large diameter main drain. If you see an issue with a larger diameter main drain, rivers, or creeks you can report it to Melbourne Water.

Drains and pipes on private property

You are responsible for the drains and pipes that collect water on your private property. This includes the pipes which run under your footpath or nature strip. If you have a blockage of a pipe or drain on your property, you need to seek advice from a registered plumber.

If you own a property you are responsible for drains on the property up to the point of connection to:

  • A drainage easement that runs through your property
  • The Council-owned drain or kerb and channel. This is called the legal point of discharge. It includes the pipes which run under the footpath or nature strip.

Legal point of discharge

  • The legal point of discharge is a point specified by Council where stormwater from a property must be discharged. This point is usually Council's stormwater drain, where available, or street kerb and channel.

    Council is regularly asked to provide direction on the legal point of discharge for both existing properties and the redevelopment of residential, commercial and industrial developments.

    You can apply for a legal point of discharge report from Council, which provides the location to which the stormwater drainage discharge from your land must be directed.

    Your building surveyor must consider this report before issuing a building permit.

    Please note that Council does not keep records of stormwater pipes around homes and this report does not provide a plan of stormwater drains on your land.

  • A legal point of discharge application incurs a fee. This fee is reviewed yearly.

    The 2023-24 fee for the legal point of discharge report form Council is $154.

  • What you need

    A site plan is optional.

    Apply online

    1. Register with Council Online Services. As a registered user, you don't need to re-enter your personal information and can keep track of requests and applications on any device.
    2. Apply for a legal point of discharge report. You need to sign in to Council Online Services to apply.
    3. As part of the online application process, the fee is paid online by Visa or MasterCard.

    Apply by post or in person

    1. Complete the Legal Point of Discharge Report application form (DOC 145KB)
    2. Attach required documents to your application with the fee
    3. Post the application and fee to Engineering Services, Merri-bek City Council, Locked Bag 10, Merri-bek VIC 3058, or deliver in person to the Merri-bek Civic Centre, 90 Bell Street, Coburg.
  • If you apply online, you will receive a report from Council by email within 5 working days.

    If you apply by post or in person, you will receive the report within 10 working days of Council receiving your application. If you provide your email address, you will receive the report by email. Otherwise, a report will be posted to you.

    Council officers refer to maps and plans of the area, land contours and proximity to stormwater pits and drains in preparing a legal point of discharge report.

    Onsite stormwater detention system

    The legal point of discharge report may call for development drainage plans for those developments which require an onsite stormwater detention system (OSD). Council must approve these plans.

    The drainage design criteria for developments assists in designing the drainage system for an onsite stormwater detention system.

    Council recommends you refer to the checklists and guidelines in this document when preparing the plans:

    Drainage design criteria for developments (PDF 1Mb).

Sometimes private drains run through other properties. This can be either along a formal drainage easement or an implied easement.

On-site water detention (OSD) systems 

Developers need to install on-site water detention systems on new private buildings. These systems hold the water and slowly release it into the drainage system. This avoids causing flooding downstream. If you are the owner of a property these systems are your responsibility to maintain.

Onsite stormwater detention permit

  • Development within Merri-bek which may increase stormwater runoff usually requires an onsite stormwater detention system.

    An onsite stormwater detention system will be included as a condition on a legal point of discharge drainage report.

  • Impacts on stormwater

    Usually redevelopment of a site results in an increase in the area covered by hard impervious surfaces, such as roofing and paving.

    The increase in hard impervious surfaces significantly increases the volume of stormwater flow, which reduces seepage into the ground, impacts stormwater drains and other assets, and increases erosion of creek areas. It can also cause local flash flooding downstream of the site and has negative effects on fish and fauna.

    Benefits of onsite stormwater detention

    Onsite stormwater detention is the management of stormwater at a site. It is designed to temporarily retain stormwater on site which enables the rainwater falling on the site to be controlled and released at a slower rate than it would normally do. This limits the flow rate of rainwater into the Council drainage system.

    We adopted the use of onsite stormwater detention systems to prevent local flooding and decrease the peak flow rate into drains and waterways so as to better manage stormwater runoff from high density developments.

    Types of detention systems

    There are different types of onsite stormwater detention systems but all have the following components:

    • Discharge control pit – this is located at the lowest point on the site. All flows leave the site through this pit. The pit contains an orifice at the bottom of a baffle wall located centrally within this pit. Refer to Council’s SD128 for details of this pit. The orifice is sized to limit the discharge of water from the site to the maximum permissible rate. Some designs may have an orifice opening with a rainwater tank being used as the detention and the remainder of the water to be used for re-use within the development. Refer to Council’s SD128 for details of the dual purpose detention/storage.
    • Storage – this can be located underground by the use of pipes, or above ground through rainwater tanks. The storage fills up due to the orifice restricting the flow and then empties through the pit once the rain eases.
    • Collection network – consists of gutters, channels, pipes and hard surface areas which are all collected and discharged to a pit.
  • All onsite stormwater detention approval applications incur a fee.

    The fee amount depends on the type and size of development and is reviewed annually. Fees to 2022-23 financial year. 

    • Single dwellings: $173.85
    • 2 and 3 lot developments: $236.40
    • 4 to 9 lot developments: $590.85
    • 10 + lot developments: $886.35
    • Apartment buildings: $590.85
    • Small commercial developments less than 500 square metres and 1-5 industrial/factory/warehouse developments: $231.85
    • Medium and large commercial developments more than 500 square metres and 5+ industrial/factory/warehouse developments: $472.70

    Fee for 2023-24 financial year

    • Single dwellings: $179
    • 2 and 3 lot developments: $243.50
    • 4 to 9 lot developments: $609
    • 10 + lot developments: $922
    • Apartment buildings: $609
    • Small commercial developments less than 500 square metres and 1-5 industrial/factory/warehouse developments: $239
    • Medium and large commercial developments more than 500 square metres and 5+ industrial/factory/warehouse developments: $487

How to apply for an onsite stormwater detention system (OSD)

Apply for an Onsite Stormwater Detention System permit

  • Before submitting an application

    1. Your development plans must first be endorsed by Council's Statutory Planning Unit, before you can submit onsite stormwater detention system design plans. You are asked to enter the date plans were endorsed in the application.
    2. Complete the 'Checklist and Information for Submission of Engineering Civil Plans’, which is included in the:

    In your application

    • One copy of full set of the drainage design plans drawn to scale.
    • One copy of onsite detention system calculations, including breakdown of how the system achieves the minimum detention storage and maximum permissible site discharge.
    • One copy of pump system design calculations that complies with Section (8) of AS/NZS 3500.3:2021 and ‘Appendix K’.
    • One copy of endorsed Storm Rating Report that reflects the details of WSUD elements within drainage plans.
    • One copy of Compliance Certificate from suitably qualified Engineer stating that the drainage and pump design complies with AS/NZS 3500.3:2021 and any other relevant standards and codes.
    • One copy of Melbourne Water consent letter, if Melbourne Water drainage asset was nominated as the legal point of discharge on the legal point of discharge drainage report.
    • Payment of fee
    1. Register with Council Online Services. As a registered user, you don't need to re-enter your personal information and can keep track of requests and applications on any device.
    2. Apply for an Onsite Stormwater Detention System permitYou need to sign in to Council Online Services to apply.
    3. As part of the online application process, the fee is paid online by Visa or MasterCard.

    Apply for an Onsite Stormwater Detention System permit

    • Attach any relevant and required information to support your OSD design to your application with the fee.
    • Post the application and fee to Engineering Services, Merri-bek City Council, Locked Bag 10, Merri-bek VIC 3058, or deliver in person to the Merri-bek Civic Centre, 90 Bell Street, Coburg 
    • Bring your form to a Customer Service Centre
  • Once we receive your complete application, including drainage and onsite stormwater detention system design plans, computations and approvals from other authorities, if required, and fee, we send you an acknowledgment letter or message confirming receipt of your application.

    We may take up to 30 days to approve, specify alterations or refuse the application under Section 15 of the Subdivision Act 1988 and Regulation 30 of the Subdivision (Procedures) Regulations 2011.

    When approved, you need to refer to the Council Drainage Standard Drawings (PDF 2Mb), along with the approval letter and approved (stamped) plans from Council.

    Once approved, the applicant is responsible for communicating and coordinating all proposed works with the applicable private property owner(s) located directly adjacent to the nature strip area or other Council road reserve area, so that compatible land uses are achieved by all parties, such as future driveway crossovers, ingress-egress, and proposed utility easements.

Sewerage pipes

Sewerage pipes collect all wastewater leaving the inside of a building. This includes hand basins, sinks, showers, baths, laundry and toilets.

This wastewater flows to the Western Treatment Plant in Werribee.  This plant processes about half of our city's sewage and produces about 40 billion litres of recycled water each year.

More information on the Western Treatment Plant

I want to report an issue with a burst water main or sewerage pipe 

The sewerage pipes outside of your property belong to Yarra Valley Water. They are also responsible for the maintenance of these pipes. You can report a a sewerage system fault or burst water main to Yarra Valley Water on their website. You can also call them on 13 27 62.