A high water table changes what's practical. Excavation for drainage repairs can fill with water, which affects how the work has to be staged and priced. It also means any problem with fall or capacity in a stormwater system shows up quickly rather than gradually - there simply isn't the margin that a well-drained block gives you.

Sandy soil compounds it. Where a pipe has leaked or a section has failed, the surrounding material washes out and leaves the pipe unsupported, which causes further movement and cracking. Clearing a blockage without checking the pipe's condition is less reliable here than in other suburbs.

The rest of the picture is familiar for the southern Peninsula - older holiday houses with original roof plumbing and drainage, coastal corrosion on guttering and flashings, and a strong seasonal occupancy pattern that pushes hot water systems well beyond their normal load over summer.