Our wastewater disposal standards and commitments
Wastewater is the term used to describe a combination of domestic sewage (from showers, baths, toilets and kitchens) and trade wastes (liquid wastes produced by a number of industrial and commercial activities).
Here’s what you can expect of us when it comes to your wastewater disposal.
Service availability
- The wastewater service to your property will be available at least 99.9% of the time
- Interruptions to the wastewater 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 wastewater 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 wastewater 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 wastewater services is the junction connection on the council main (pipeline).
We’re responsible for maintaining the wastewater system up to and including the point of service.
Protecting your wastewater system and the environment – what you can do
There are a few simple steps you can take to protect your wastewater system, help minimise future costs to ratepayers and look after the environment.
You can help by:
- Taking all reasonable care to avoid damaging any public wastewater 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 wastewater pipelines
- Not discharging your stormwater (rainwater) into the wastewater system. Separate systems are provided for stormwater 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 wastewater 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 wastewater system
- Letting us know if you wish to discharge liquid wastes from commercial or industrial processes to the wastewater system. This will enable us to determine if a trade waste consent (licence) is required
Wastewater fees and charges
Look up our wastewater fees and charges page.