Our stormwater disposal standards and commitments
Although our stormwater system meets national standards, it is unfortunately true that we can’t always beat the weather. There will be times when our stormwater system will have insufficient capacity and flooding will occur.
Here’s what you can expect of us when it comes to your stormwater disposal.
Service availability
- The stormwater service to your property will be available at least 99.9% of the time
- Interruptions to the stormwater service to individual properties will not exceed 24 hours at any one time
Our environmental commitment
100% compliance with Resource Management Act consent conditions.
Commitment to our customers
- We’ll notify all property owners or occupiers at least 24 hours before commencing any planned maintenance or upgrades that may affect them
- We’ll give advance notice to property owners or occupiers before urgent work is carried out on private property, and we will also give written notification of the work
- Employees and contractors of Hutt City Council and Capacity will carry identification which they must show you if they need to enter your property
- We’ll reinstate any private property disturbed by us or our contractors to a standard as close as practical to that existing before the work was carried out
- We’ll help you to locate any public or private stormwater pipelines within your property
Our timeframes
- We’ll respond to urgent work requirements (non-availability of wastewater service, and significant health, safety and/or environmental risk) within an hour
- We’ll respond to non-urgent work requirements (nuisance or partial disruption to stormwater service) within 24 hours
- We’ll respond to routine work requirements and enquiries within five working days
What belongs to the council and what belongs to you?
You own and are responsible for all drains, pipe work and plumbing which service your property and which are upstream of the point of service.
Where can I find the ‘point of service’?
Our point of service for stormwater services is the junction connection on the council main (pipeline). Where a property is serviced by a pipeline draining to the road kerb, the point of service is the road kerb.
We’re responsible for maintaining the stormwater system up to and including the point of service.
Protecting your stormwater system and the environment – what you can do
There are a few simple steps you can take to protect your stormwater system, help minimise future costs to ratepayers and look after the environment.
It’s extremely important that you don’t use stormwater drains to dispose of any foreign matter – this will pollute our waterways.
If you’re not sure how to get rid of certain materials (like paint or oil, for example), contact us for advice.
You can help protect your stormwater system by:
- Taking all reasonable care to avoid damaging any public stormwater pipes which pass through your property, and ensuring that our ability to obtain prompt access to these pipes isn’t restricted
- Not planting trees or shrubs on your property within 1.5 metres of buried stormwater pipelines
- Not discharging your stormwater (rainwater) into the wastewater system. Separate systems are provided for wastewater disposal. The entry of stormwater into the wastewater system can cause the wastewater system to quickly become overloaded, and can lead to overflows of sewage
- Keeping your stormwater drainage system in good condition and compliant with the requirements of the New Zealand Building Code. This will minimise the likelihood of health risks to occupants of your property
- Not discharging motor oil, fuels, solvents or highly toxic substances into the stormwater system
Stormwater fees and charges
Look up our stormwater fees and charges page.