Water & Sewerage Flooding
We acknowledge that flooding of private property is very distressing and inconvenient. Cradle Mountain Water is committed to working with customers to resolve flooding issues.
Flooding can be caused by ground movement, tree roots, varying water pressure, vibration from heavy traffic or general wear and tear. Blockages within a sewer system can be caused by a build-up of fats and solid or, tree root infiltration. This can either result in sewage overflow either on private property or from a manhole.
In the first instance, please contact Cradle Mountain Water on 13 6992 as soon as you are aware of flooding from either water or sewerage systems. We can be contacted 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Cradle Mountain Water will respond to flooding incidents, during and after normal working hours as soon as possible. Severe weather may hamper our ability to respond quickly, however customers will be kept informed in these situations.
Initial Assistance Provided by Cradle Mountain Water
Internal Flooding
When sewage enters your home, garage or outbuildings, we will remove the sewage and if you agree, disinfect the flooded areas. We may assist immediately or the following day with removing carpets, furniture and other damaged items. We provide this service with no admission of liability.
What You Should Do
- If you gas meter or any gas appliance is submerged, contact your gas supplier prior to switching off the gas or lighting any appliance.
- If your electricity meter, fuse box or any electrical appliance or socket has been submerged contact your electricity supplier for advice before using any electrical equipment.
- Ensure your home or outbuildings are well ventilated, leave windows open as much as possible.
External Flooding
We will do our best to clean up affected outdoor areas, provide disinfection and remove any sewage including removal of contaminated soil.
Repairs
Where it has been determined our responsibility, Cradle Mountain Water will arrange to repair or unblock the pipeline, restore normal services and determine what measures are needed to eliminate as far as possible, the potential for future failures.
Severe Sewage Flooding
In severe cases of sewage flooding and it has been determined our responsibility, Cradle Mountain Water may relocate residents until their property is suitably cleaned and disinfected. It is the responsibility of the local council Environmental Health Officer to determine when it is safe for you to return home.
Preventing Sewage Flooding in Your Home
An overflow relief gully (ORG) is a plumbing component designed to release any sewage outside and away from the interior of your home or business, should a property connection drain or sewer become blocked. In the event of a sewer blockage that causes sewage to back up, the ORG is designed with a loose fitting grate that pops open and releases the sewage outside of your home or business. To assist preventing sewage entering your home it is very important that you never cover your ORG as this may prevent it from working.
Property owners are responsible to ensure their home or business is fitted with a properly designed and working ORG.
Check your ORG regularly to ensure that it is not covered by garden beds, landscaping and pot plants. Ensure the grate is not prevented from popping open as a result of corrosion, being filled with silt or permanently fixed in concrete.
A licensed plumber should be contacted if you do not have an ORG or require an alternation to an older fitting. All costs are the responsibility of the property owner.
Insurance and Compensation
Damage to your property from failed water or sewer pipes may be covered by your domestic household insurance.
Contact your insurance company immediately if you have suffered loss or damage as a consequence of a water or sewer pipe failure. Where Cradle Mountain Water is responsible, we may provide financial consideration on an ex gratia basis for your property losses if you do not have insurance cover, or if your insurance company will not respond due to exclusions under your policy.
While Cradle Mountain Water adopts a position of ‘no liability’, we may provide financial assistance towards restoring your property. In order to be considered for an ex-gratia payment, the following documents must be provided:
- a claim in writing
- copies of bills and estimates for damaged items
- either a letter from your insurer stating that it does not cover the loss or written advice that you are uninsured.
Please ensure that you retain any damaged items for which you are claiming until the matter is resolved.