Stormwater

What is Stormwater?

Stormwater is the runoff of water from land generated by rainfall or melting snow.  

If stormwater is not managed properly, it can flood streets and pose a threat to public health and safety, property, and have an environmentally damaging effect on the district’s waterways and seas. Therefore, management of stormwater requires an extensive pipe network to collect and transport stormwater, treatment systems and pumping, and all these come at a cost to the community.

You can help to reduce stormwater runoff entering our waterways and seas by collecting and using this rainwater on your property to water your garden, flush your toilets, wash your car and even as your own water supply.

Our aim is to:

• Maintain a reliable stormwater network to manage runoff and reduce surface water ponding
• Ensure stormwater is controlled and, if necessary, treated and disposed of to protect public health and safety, land and property
• Protect and enhance the life-supporting properties and quality of streams, estuaries and harbours
• Ensure new developments undertake effective stormwater management and control.

For more details on how you can help keep our waterways clean, please refer to ‘The Stormwater drains are for rain only’ - Information brochure at the bottom of this page.

If any building work on your property involves work at or near a Council stormwater asset such as a pipeline or a manhole, please refer to our Build Over Policy and our Council’s Engineering Code of Practice for Subdivisions, for further details on procedures to be followed.

Please keep pollutants out of wastewater:

Water entering the stormwater network eventually ends up in local streams and habitats. Any harmful products in the water such as paint has an adverse effect on these natural habitats. To help protect our environment, our Council wishes to remind public to refrain from washing paint products and other pollutants into the stormwater network.

Key stormwater facts:

• Stormwater comes from precipitation (rain)
• Stormwater that does not soak into the ground becomes surface runoff
• Surface runoff flows into drains and the stormwater network 
• Stormwater eventually flows into waterways (rivers, streams, lakes, oceans)
• Stormwater runoff is typically not treated before it enters the waterways
• Polluted stormwater runoff is the number one water pollutant for waterways

Significant stormwater pollutants include: 

• Residents dumping or cleaning items (paint, chemicals, oil, etc.) 
• Sediment 
• Oil, grease, and toxic chemicals runoff from motor vehicles on roads
• Fertilizers and pesticides used on lawns, gardens, etc
• Litter from motorists, pedestrians and businesses.

Waikato Regional Council (WRC) investigates environmental incidents to determine if the Resource Management Act has been breach and if there is a responsible party. If this is the case, then WRC may take action such as:

• Issue a formal warning to the responsible party informing them of their offence
• Issue an infringement notice, which includes a fine, to the responsible party
• Prosecute the responsible party through the criminal courts, which if proven may result in sanctions and fines.

Got any questions?

Please feel free to talk to one of our engineering staff by contacting Customer Services on 07 868 0200.