Stormwater requirements

What is Stormwater?

Stormwater is the resulting water from rainfall events which then flows across land surfaces.

Council's Stormwater Drainage System (Public Drainage System)

Council generally manages and maintains the public drainage system which drains the public road network through public and private lands to the Parramatta River. There are other private drainage systems which perform the same function within the City of Canada Bay.

Private Stormwater Drainage Systems

Private stormwater drainage systems comprise of any drainage infrastructure that manages stormwater for a private property. This includes roof gutters, downpipes, rainwater tanks, detention and storage tanks, pumps, pipes, pits, and any other component of a drainage system associated with private a private property's land or structures (e.g. cabana, car port, garage, shed, granny flat, etc.). Property owners are responsible for the management and maintenance of their stormwater management systems in order to keep them in good condition and in compliance with Council's requirements.

It is important to note that the stormwater infrastructure (typically pipes) that connects a private drainage system to the Council consented point of stormwater discharge (e.g. street kerb outlet, Council pit, Council pipe, etc.) is part of the private stormwater drainage system even though it may be located on public land. It is therefore the property owner's responsibility to manage and maintain these connections, even though they may be located on public land.

Property owners shall be aware that the private stormwater connections to the consented point of discharge should be designed and specified with environmental loading from street tree roots and vehicles passing overtop in mind. Council recommends the use of continuous length rectangular steel hollow section pipe with a wall thickness of 5 mm as a means of maintaining structural integrity to protect the pipe from vehicles passing over it, and also to reduce the chance of tree root ingress.

Flooding and Nuisance Stormwater Matters

Property owners may experience flooding and nuisance stormwater matters affecting their properties during rain events.

It is important to note that Council's network of drainage pits and pipes is designed to transport stormwater resulting from a minor rain event. Stormwater from larger rain events will travel as natural overland flow via the road carriageways, kerb and gutter, overland flow channels, etc. This overland flow follows the natural topography of the land which determines the natural flow paths of stormwater through valleys and low points. Property owners may experience this overland flow passing into or through their property which Council considers to be normal. It is important for property owners to recognise that these types of nuisance flooding and stormwater matters are normal so that disputes between property owners, nearby affected property owners and Council can be avoided.

Council expects climate change to contribute to nuisance flooding in the future.

Stormwater Management Policy

Council has prepared a development control policy for the management of stormwater from all types of developments within the local government area. The objectives of these controls are:

  • To provide uniform controls and ensure their consistent application in the assessment and conditioning of development applications in relation to stormwater;
  • To minimise adverse impacts on properties caused by stormwater from developments; and
  • To ensure that the quality of water entering waterways is not adversely affected by pollutants, including nutrients, pathogens and siltation resulting from development sites.

If you are proposing development work within the City of Canada Bay, you may need to prepare a Stormwater Drainage Concept Plan. Check the relevant DA Checklist for your development type to determine if you need such a plan. You should also refer to the DA Appendix and the DCP - Appendix 2 Engineering Specifications to ensure your plan addresses design requirements. A Stormwater Flowchart is also provided as a quick reference for Council's requirements.

For enquiries relating to stormwater design and Council's Specification, please contact Council's development engineering staff on 9911 6555.

Approval and/or Consent Stormwater Works

Section 68 Approval

Section 68 of the Local Government Act 1993 outlines activities that require the approval of Council to be carried out. Part B Items 5 (Carry out stormwater drainage work) and 6 (Connect a private drain or sewer with a public drain or sewer under the control of a council or with a drain or sewer which connects with such a public drain or sewer) state that Council approval is required to carry out such aforementioned stormwater drainage works.

As such, Council approval under section 68 is generally required when undertaking stormwater management activities within the local government area. Approval can be obtained through a Section 68 Approval Application, which can be found at the link below:

It is important to note that approval under Section 68 must be obtained for all stormwater drainage works, regardless of whether the public drain that is being connected to is located in private property (such as in a drainage easement) or is located on public land (such as within the road reserve or within a drainage reserve).

Section 138 Consent

Section 138 of the Roads Act 1993 states that a person must not carry out works as listed in this section of the act (such as carrying out works in, or or over a public road, or digging up or disturbing the surface of a public road) otherwise than with the consent of the appropriate roads authority. Typically within the local government area, the roads authority is Council.

Depending on the nature of the works, Council consent under Section 138 can be obtained either through a Road Reserve Opening Permit by Private Contractor Application, or through a Civil Works in the Public Domain Application, both of which can be found at the links below:

Developments and Stormwater

Stormwater runoff shall be managed within the development property and controlled in accordance with Council’s requirements and specifications.

If a property owner is proposing a new stormwater connection, or is proposing to modify an existing stormwater connection, from their private property to a public drain (regardless of whether that drain is within private property or in public land), approval under Section 68 (Part B) of the Local Government Act 1993 is required.

If any works associated with a stormwater connection is proposed to be carried out within the road reserve, in addition to approval under Section 68 of the Local Government Act, consent under Section 138 of the Roads Act 1993 must be obtained prior to the commencement of any works.

These approvals and consents are the the same for developments being undertaken through the Complying Development Certificate (CDC) process. It is important that such developments satisfy all controls in relation to stormwater drainage works associated with the development. If the CDC cannot be approved, a development application must be lodged.

For enquiries relating to stormwater design and Council’s Specification, please contact our development engineering staff on 9911 6555.

Soil and Water Management Plan

A property owner conducting construction works on their site is responsible for ensuring that soil and sediment arising from the works do not leave the site and/or enter the public drainage system.

A Soil and Water Management Plan detailing how erosion and sedimentation will be prevented from leaving the construction site during the works is required to be submitted to Council with most development applications. Please refer to the relevant DA Checklist and the DA Appendix to determine whether a Soil and Water Management Plan is required to be submitted.

For further information, please refer to our Construction Sites web page and the Stormwater Pollution from Building Sites Fact Sheet.

Water Sensitive Urban Design

Water Sensitive Urban Design is the integration of urban planning and development with the management, protection and conservation of the water cycle as a whole.

For more information please refer to Council’s Water Sensitive Urban Design page.