Stormwater

Q: What is stormwater?

A: Stormwater is basically rainwater - stormwater drains channel the rainwater from your roof. If they are connected to the public stormwater system, the water will feed straight into natural waterways, such as lakes, rivers and sea.

This means any pollution entering your stormwater drains will also end up there (eg, if you clean your paintbrushes over the drain or wash your car in the driveway).

It's important to keep stormwater and wastewater (from your toilet, bath, shower, sink, basin, washing machine and dishwasher) completely separate.

If you're connected to the public sewage system, the wastewater runs through your sewage pipes into the public system and on to the local treatment plant. Once treated, it can reenter our waterways. If stormwater gets into the public sewage system, it can flood the sewers, making the untreated sewage overflow.

It can get in from something as simple as an incorrectly connected stormwater downpipe in your home.

Check that:

• your stormwater downpipes are properly connected to the stormwater drain
• there are no inside or outside sinks or basins connected to the stormwater downpipes
• your wastewater goes into a separate wastewater gully trap with a raised wall to keep any stormwater run-off out of the sanitary sewer.