Who manages our stormwater?
As the regional environmental regulator, we are responsible for monitoring and regulating stormwater quantity and quality.
It’s our job to set and enforce standards and undertake monitoring to make sure these standards are being upheld.
City and district councils are responsible for the infrastructure and works that keep our stormwater system running.
That means they manage the operation, maintenance, and improvements of stormwater services. They look after underground stormwater pipes and maintain open waterways, detention basins and stormwater treatment systems.
They are also responsible for helping to keep stormwater clean by preventing pollution or sometimes treating stormwater.
In some areas, councils’ work involves managing flood capacity within cities and towns rivers and their tributaries.
Water Services Reform
Under the Water Services Reforms, New Zealand’s council-owned water services will be transferred from local councils and combined into specialist water service entities. Their role will be to deliver services for:
- drinking water
- wastewater
- stormwater.
Under the reforms, regional councils will still issue and monitor consents for stormwater discharges to the environment.
Taumata Arowai the new national drinking water services regulator, will have an oversight role in relation to stormwater. This will include establishing national standards, performance measures and targets to shine a light on the performance of certain stormwater networks.
The detailed arrangements for the transfer of stormwater assets and management of stormwater systems and infrastructure to the new water service entities are still being worked through by Government and councils.
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