Water Leaks

Council is responsible for all water supply infrastructure in the street up to and including your water meter as well as pipes, valves, hydrants and fittings.

What the leak looks like determines when and how to report it

If the water leak is:

• A moderate or major burst (water is shooting out of the main with pressure), water is running down the street or causing property damage: report by phone call to Council immediately on T 02 6578 7290 during business hours or emergency after hours.
• A trickle, puddle or damp ground: report to Council’s Customer Service Centre during business hours on T 02 6578 7290
• A leaking hydrant or stop valve: report to Council’s Customer Service Centre during business hours on T 02 6578 7290 

If you have identified a water leak on Council's side of the meter, please report the issue to Council’s Customer Service Centre on T 02 6578 7290. Common leaks at the meter to report are;

• Meter tap won’t turn off the water supply
• Meter tap is leaking
• Body of the meter is leaking
• Pipe from the main to the meter is leaking. 

When repairing leaks, Council requires clear access to your water meter. We may need your help to clear the area if your meter is not easily accessible so we can safely work.

As the property owner, you own and are responsible for maintaining and repairing all pipes, taps, drains and backflow prevention devices within your property. The diagram below shows where Council’s responsibility ends, and the property owner's responsibility begins.

If you are the property owner and have identified a water leak on the property side of the meter, you are required to contact a licensed plumber to carry out the appropriate work at your own expense. 

If you are a tenant and have identified a water leak on the property side of the meter, contact the property manager or property owner immediately. It is important to follow up and encourage the water leak be repaired as soon as possible. You are responsible for all water usage charges, meaning you will be charged for the leaking water.

Council is not responsible for repairing or maintaining:

• damage to your water system not caused by Council
• unauthorised connections
• fire services
• backflow prevention devices on properties, except where the device is integrated into the water meter supplied and owned by Council.

In these instances, you will need to contact a licensed plumber to carry out the appropriate work as your own expense.

A Water Consumption Adjustment application applies to all ratepayers where a concealed leak has occurred on their property, resulting in excessive water use.

Water Consumption Adjustment Application 

Council will provide a maximum of one adjustment per water assessment for the current owner of that property. A water consumption application will not be approved if an adjustment has been previously granted to the owners for that property. 

A water consumption adjustment is considered an educational process, by receiving an adjustment the first time, the ratepayer should then be aware to regularly check for leaks and maintain their plumbing.

As per Singleton Councils Water Supply Policy, for a concealed water leak claim to be eligible for assistance, a claim must:

• Involve a significant leakage on the property. A leakage is determined to be significant if the water usage on the water usage account issued immediately prior to the repairs being completed is more than $400 and/or 2 times greater than the same period in the previous five (5) year’s daily average consumption.
• Involve a leakage in pipelines, which are undetected. Undetected leakage is defined as occurring within pipeline breaks or connections in the ground, under slabs or within walls etc. and is clearly not visible to the owner.
• Be completed within 20 working days of the water usage account being issued and include:
  • the completion of the Water Consumption Adjustment Application, including a statutory declaration indicating that the abnormally high water usage resulted from an undetected water leak and acknowledgement that subsequent claims under this policy will not be accepted.
  • supporting documentation that the water leak was repaired immediately in the form of a paid statement or paid invoice from a licensed plumber indicating the cause and location of the water leak and that it has been repaired. In the case where a plumber was not employed, a statutory declaration by the owner with the equivalent details and receipts for any materials used.
• Where water usage charges are less than $400 and/or 2 times greater than the same period in the previous five (5) year’s daily average consumption and financial hardship is being experienced; customers may seek relief under Council’s Hardship Policy.