Water Supply and Wastewater Network Bylaw 2015 Amendment

This consultation is now closed.

This consultation period closed on 16 July 2021. Thank you for having your say.

We received feedback from 46 people and organisations.

Key themes included majority support to:

• further define the rules regarding unauthorised taking of water from the Water Supply Network and unauthorised discharges to the Wastewater Network
• update the Bylaw to current bylaw standards and clarify how it links to other legislation, bylaws, and other documentation

Read the feedback report and attachments to the deliberations report for more detail on the feedback given. Copies of the feedback can be viewed in the submissions folder in the document sidebar.

Changes made in response to feedback

As a result of your feedback, the Governing Body adopted the changes to the Bylaw on 25 November 2021 to:

• include a reference to the Fire and Emergency New Zealand Act 2017 in the Bylaw Summary and the Fire and Emergency Code or Practice in the related information note
• include a reference to any disposable wipes, paints and solvents, unused pharmaceutical products and plastic bags in the list of prohibited waste
• make corrections and editorial clarifications throughout the Bylaw including to amend definitions, for example, combined system, groundwater and private water supply scheme.

What happens next

The changes take effect from 20 December 2021.

About the proposed bylaw

Every day, people obtain drinking water and discharge their wastewater through the public water supply and wastewater networks.

Sometimes, the networks can be damaged, contaminated or misused by:

• people connecting to or disconnecting from water supply and wastewater networks
• work undertaken near the networks
• illegal connections or illegal discharges of waste into the networks.

This can result in local water shortages and health risks.

What Auckland Council does

We use a bylaw to make rules that help protect Auckland’s public water supply and wastewater networks. The existing bylaw rules are included in the Water Supply and Wastewater Network Bylaw 2015

Watercare administers the bylaw.

About the current bylaw

We recently checked how the rules are working and identified improvements.

We proposed changes to the bylaw that would:

• clarify requirements for Watercare consents to connect to or disconnect from the public network and provide for exemptions from water use restrictions
• clarify the definition of waste which may not be discharged into the wastewater network, for example, wipes, nappies and sanitary products
• further, define rules related to the unauthorised taking of water from the network and unauthorised discharges to the wastewater network.

We also wanted to clarify terms and specific sections, like:

• terms including new definitions of “combined system”, “combined system area”, “groundwater”, “private water supply scheme”, and “stormwater inflow.”
• that no person may physically obstruct or interfere with Watercare’s access to the network
• Watercare’s acceptance and liability for water supply and wastewater assets
• rules about the protection of water supply from contamination by a private water scheme
• that people need the approval to discharge to the public wastewater network
• the offences under the Bylaw, including unauthorised discharge to the wastewater network
• what works can occur near a water supply or wastewater networks
• statutory powers may be used to enforce the bylaw.

What the Bylaw doesn't include

The Bylaw is limited to the infrastructure of

• water and wastewater pipes
• treatment plants
• pump stations
• reservoirs
• any other public network assets.

The Bylaw does not address privately-owned networks and assets, resource consented wastewater overflows, or water allocation and trade waste.