Sewer pipe responsibilities

Blockages and structural faults

Council has a procedure in our Wastewater Drainage Bylaw that covers how and who investigates and repairs different parts of the wastewater drainage system.

If you are experiencing problems on your property from a gully trap overflowing or you think that you might have a drain blockage, your first point of call should be to your drain layer/plumber.

For further information regarding general responsibilities, please refer to our Responsibilities in Relation to Reticulated Sewerage Systems guide.

Public mains on property

Some areas in Ashburton, Methven and Lake Hood have sewer main pipelines located on people's properties rather than in the road reserve area.

If you have one or more of these pipes located on your property, it is your responsibility to make sure that it is not built over, damaged or compromised in any way.

Please contact us before you do any digging, so we can provide location plan details for you. Under some special circumstances, we may approve the relocation of the pipeline or building over the main sewer pipelines.

Learn more about the procedures and requirements in our Building Over Pipelines Policy.