Background and reasons for the proposed new bylaws
The Council’s current bylaw that regulates stormwater matters is the Water Supply, Wastewater and Stormwater Bylaw (2014 [PDF, 158 KB]).
Legislation requires the bylaw to be reviewed by 2024, but we have reviewed it sooner to:
- help meet the Council’s new stormwater obligations under the Comprehensive Stormwater Network Discharge Consent
- improve and update the bylaw to ensure it is fit-for-purpose.
Although national changes have been foreshadowed in the Government’s Three Waters Reform Programme, the changes are not yet finalised, and changes may be several years from being implemented.
The proposed changes to the bylaw are recommended, irrespective of the Three Waters Reform Programme, as they will enable the Council to meet new requirements that are already in place and will update the bylaw. The Government’s reform is separate, and outside the scope of this bylaw.
New bylaw structure
The proposed approach is to split the current bylaw into two separate new bylaws – one for water supply and wastewater, and the other for stormwater and land drainage. This is because:
- the stormwater network is very different to the drinking water and wastewater networks. Water supply and wastewater are closed, piped networks; while the stormwater network is an open system made up of a mix of pipes, drains, overland flow paths and is integrated with roads, natural waterways, and parks
- there are a number of significant changes required under the CSNDC for stormwater
- it is helpful for administrative reasons because the current bylaw is our largest and one of the more technically complex bylaws