Koo Wee Rup
Blocked, burst or leaking in Koo Wee Rup?
Blocked drains, burst pipes and leaks in Koo Wee Rup, from the Koo Wee Rup commercial precinct to the old swamp drains, passed to a licensed plumber day and night.
Plumbing in Koo Wee Rup
A town on a drained swamp
When farmers' own drains could not cope with big floods, the Koo Wee Rup drainage scheme was founded, and the government later took it over. Property stormwater here usually ends up in a public drain, so whether the receiving drain belongs to an authority or to the property is settled before anything is connected.
Homes in town were evacuated in the 2012 floods when the Bunyip River broke out. On low ground a sewer or stormwater line can surcharge in a flood, so the fall to the outlet and any backflow protection are checked before a drain is relied on.
Melbourne Water runs the surrounding flood protection district, a former swamp, and many drains inside farms and other private land are the landholder's to keep clear. The larger carrier drains are the authority's, so ownership comes first.
Jobs in Koo Wee Rup
Flat ground, slow falls and public drains
Blocked drains
House drains on low, flat ground that back up when the outlet is high.
Gutters and downpipes
Visible downpipes and gutters on interwar shopfronts, matched after a heritage check.
Taps and repairs
Internal taps flushed and checked after a boil water advisory or a supply fault.
What it costs: hot water replacement cost, gutter replacement cost, toilet installation cost
Koo Wee Rup questions
Boil water notices, heritage drains and shopfronts
Who is responsible when tap water comes out dirty?
South East Water owns the mains and tanks before the meter. It issued a boil water advisory for the town after a supply tank problem and told customers to flush internal taps afterwards. A fault on the network is the corporation's, while the property's own pipes are for the owner and the plumber.
Does work near an old swamp drain need approval?
It can. The swamp drains and timber bridges are Heritage Overlay places, kept as evidence of the great drainage project, so altering a culvert or crossing on one is likely to need heritage approval as well as drainage consent.
Can shopfront downpipes in town be replaced?
Yes, with a permit check first. The Koo Wee Rup commercial precinct is in the Heritage Overlay, so visible downpipes, gutters or street-facing pipework there will likely need a council heritage permit and original-looking materials.
