Know How Stormwater Pits Work

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HOW STORM-WATER PITS WORK
New Zealand is lower south than we are, but its
a much smaller land mass and has a diuerent
climatic pattern than we do, so its much wetter
and greener. Either way, a combination of our
low rainfall (the wettest Aussie spaces only get
600mm of rain per year) and large central
deserts mean we dont rank high on the greenery
scale. That said, when it does rain, it rains
hard. And because most of us live within 50km of
the coast, theres a large risk of flooding. The
people that designed urban Aussie spaces were
aware of this.
GET TH E BASIX RIGHT
Still, even in places that are well within
construction guidelines, the rainy season can
easily overwhelm municipal waterways. That can
lead to soil erosion, sinking buildings, and
millions in property damage. So as part of Basix
building rules, new homes must contain green
infrastructure, lower emission features, water
tanks, and detention tanks. The latter are
storm-water solutions intended to reduce the
harm done by excessive rainwater. Because while
tanks can collect water for use, they can only
hold so much.
CALL IN THE PROFESSIONALS
Storm-water pits are designed by water engineers
and built by plumb- ers. Theyll do careful
calculations based on building size and soil
type, determining the right size of storm-water
tank for your property. They usually have large
grates at the top to let water in while keeping
larger debris and small animals out, because
these could cause a blockage and make the
flooding even worse. The system is designed so
the inlet is much bigger than the outlet. This
means your storm-water pit receives rainwater en
masse but releases it more slowly.