Strata Stormwater Often Forgotten 2/11/2007 If you failed to hear the story about the strata titled property owners who forget where their stormwater went until they were knee deep you would not be alone. It’s largely an untold tale, but it does need telling.
It may not be widely known but a large proportion of strata titled developments built in the past quarter century have a stormwater detention system. Most people only become aware of its existence when flooding occurs.
“Such systems often exist deep within the bowels of a building and are largely forgotten about,” says Mr Richard Tooker, director of New South Wales Strata Management.
“Their function is to ensure that Council drains to not become overly stressed during periods of heavy rain and storm. Most Council’s have a requirement for such systems to be in place.”
Mr Tooker says that reminding a building’s Owners Corporation of the need for regular maintenance of such systems is part of the oversight role that professional Strata Managers perform. “Seeing that such systems are kept in good operating condition can be a legal obligation of the Owners Corporation”.
These days’ developers submit a stormwater management plan to Council that explains how stormwater from the site will be discharged into the community’s stormwater drains.
“Often the system consists of a large tank or landscaped basin built into the site. And the site owners are responsible for seeing that these systems continue to do their job,” says Mr Tooker.
Sometimes however an Owners Corporation may not even be aware that such a system existences, or what maintenance might be required.
“Nowadays some strata buildings can be very large indeed and the detention system might be sized appropriately. There are of course multi-use buildings too where retail premises co-exist with higher floors of residential premises.
“It is very rare to find any two sites exactly alike so it can become a rather specialised task to provide the pertinent advice to an Owners Corporation, advice that will see them keep their feet dry whilst remaining in complete compliance with their legal obligations.”
He adds that once you see a detention system failure and the flooding that can result the lesson is quickly learned.
“Debris can block-up the system or perhaps a stormwater pump has stopped working, needs testing or cleaning. And, for those who might be wondering, these systems are not for longer term water storage either. Their express purpose is to arrest the flow but not stop it completely.
“There are even specialist plumbing services available to assist. But in the first instance it is still the Strata Manager who can determine well in advance if a potential risk exists. Being forewarned can help an Owners Corporation do its job more responsibly, in keeping with complete compliance with the Strata Title Act.”
New South Wales Strata Management (formerly Gilmour Strata Management) commenced business in early 1991, as a member of the highly respected J A Gilmour & Sons group of companies. Licensed solely and specialising only in strata management services, the company has steadily grown to become one of the largest such organisations in New South Wales.
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