Maintenance of the sewer system
Owner's responsibility
The owner is responsible for all blockages to sewer laterals caused by inappropriate items being flushed down the sewer system. Another common cause of blockages are tree roots. The owner is responsible for clearing blockages in their pipe work up to the council sewer main in the road.
All structural damage to sewer laterals/pipes inside the property boundary is the owner's responsibility.
If the drainlayer is sure that the cause of blockage is a Council responsibility please call 941 8830.
Council's responsibility
Structural damage such as cracks or breaks in the sewer system in the footpath or road and on Council owned properties, are repaired and maintained by the Council.
Pipelines on private properties are often protected by way of easement in favour of the Council. This means that Council has legal access to the pipelines.
Pipe maintenance
One advantage that the Christchurch sewage system has is the high quality of its pipe infrastructure, due to the high level of asset investment in past years. Without such a high standard of early piping the city may well have run into difficulties as the city has a high water table and draws its drinking water from underground aquifers. Most pipes laid in the city are below groundwater and pipe imperfections could cause groundwater infiltration as well as overflows.
Existing pipelines under the city are a mixture of old brick, ceramic, cast iron, newer concrete, and plastic. For optimum performance the pipes need to be regularly maintained and upgraded where necessary. The pipes have an average economic life of at least 90 years, with older pipes being renewed as needed. Until recently, the only way of knowing the condition of underground pipes was when they blocked or failed, leaving a depression in the road. With the introduction of closed circuit television monitoring, the condition of the pipes can be regularly checked to prioritise their renewal.
Asset management
Because of the need to provide for such a valuable asset, the Christchurch City Council has in place an asset management plan to manage the wastewater pipeline assets. The plan provides a strategy to meet the demands of expected city growth well into the 21st century to maintain the pipe assets and to upgrade the level of service where appropriate.
Wastewater regulation
The City Council has obligations under specific Acts and Bylaws to safeguard the health of the community and the environment. The main regulations governing the collection, treatment, and discharge of wastewater are the Resource Management Act 1991, the Local Government Act 1974, the Building Act 1991, and the Council's own Trade Wastes Bylaw. In particular monitoring of levels of certain chemicals takes place. In some instances particular substances are either prohibited, e.g. asbestos or organochlorine pesticides, or are allowed into the sewer only in limited quantities, as is the case with chromium, nickel and cadmium. See Trade Waste.
|
