business.gov.au

Approval of an On-Site Stormwater Detention System - New South Wales

Description

You may need this approval to install an on-site stormwater detention (OSD) system if you intend to connect to or develop a property that connects to a Sydney Water stormwater asset or natural water. Properties that must have an OSD system include (but are not limited to):

  • all commercial, industrial and special use (e.g. community, education, recreational) buildings or structures
  • town houses, villas, home units or other strata subdivisions (these may use a single OSD system for the total site area as long as it's located on common property and the body corporate is responsible for maintenance)
  • dual occupancy lots (each lot within the dual occupancy must have its own OSD system. Each individual lot owner is responsible for maintenance)
  • sealed sporting facilities (e.g. tennis and basketball courts).

The requirements imposed by Sydney Water are supplementary to any council guidelines.

Service type

Licence

A licence defines the need to obtain recognition / certification and registration to undertake a certain business activity.

Eligibility requirements

Before you can begin construction you must submit:

  • certification of design by a chartered civil engineer, verifying that it has been designed to meet the calculated specifications
  • a plan and elevation of OSD system with all dimensions
  • the location of OSD storage in relation to overall development and site drainage
  • a detailed design of orifice including all dimensions, maximum storage discharge rate specifications and the percentage (if any) of the site area that will drain to the street or other stormwater system.

After construction of the OSD system is complete you must submit:

  • Work-As-Executed (WAE) plans prepared and signed by a registered surveyor
  • Certificates of Hydraulic Compliance that confirm the system has been constructed and will function as designed. Certificates must also identify any variations from the approved design and confirm that variations will not affect the performance of the OSD system.

Ongoing eligibility requirements

You must regularly maintain your OSD system to prevent potential problems.

If your OSD system discharges directly into a Sydney Water owned drainage system, you must enter into a formal agreement with Sydney Water which sets out your ongoing OSD maintenance responsibilities. You will need to register this agreement on the property title to ensure the information is stored on the title of the land. This prevents the details from being lost over time, especially as the property changes ownership.

If your OSD system discharges directly into a drainage system that is not owned by Sydney Water, you may be required to enter into an agreement with your local council.

Fees

Fees Details for this service in table format.

Task Type Business Structure Description
Apply Application All

Please contact the agency for more information.

Forms

Other resources

Task Business Structure Resources
Comply All Guidelines - On-site Stormwater Detention - PDF (Opens in new window)

Act(s) name

Sydney Water Act 1994 New South Wales

Regulation(s) name

Sydney Water Regulation 2025 New South Wales

Administering agency

Sydney Water Corporation

Contact details

Contact Email, Phone and Address Details for this service in simple two column table format, header then data.

Contact Email, Phone and Address Details for this service in simple two column table format, header then data.