Clean, safe water

We continuously monitor water quality to ensure it meets Ministry of Health standards for drinking water. If you have any concerns about the quality of your water, please contact us. Learn more.

In the highly unlikely event that your water quality deteriorates and becomes unsafe to drink, we will advise you immediately. We or the Medical Officer of Health will make a public announcement.

Minimal interruptions

We aim to respond to any unplanned interruption to our service within 1 hour, and restore service within 5 hours. Faults and outages.

We maintain and operate the wastewater system up to the property connection point, taking care to avoid odours and overflows.

Wastewater spill on your property

Please contact us first: phone (09) 442 2222, press 1.

Problem in our network

We aim to attend to calls about overflowing sewers within 1 hour in metropolitan Auckland. We will contain the spill and clean the affected areas as quickly as we can.

Problem in private pipes

If you have a blockage in your private drain, please call us first, before you contact a tradesperson. Learn more: When to report a fault

Interruption to services

We aim to provide continuous wastewater services but may need to interrupt or restrict them because of emergencies or other reasons beyond our control. Learn more: Faults and outages

Although we have the right to enter your property without consent – to read the meter, or work on our network – we will do this with respect for you, your family and your property.

We will always show authorised identification. If you are not confident that visitors are Watercare representatives, please call us on (09) 442 2222, press 1.

We will endeavour not to enter your property in the hours of darkness unless there is an emergency, or we have your consent to do so.

Restoring your property

We will take care to avoid damaging grass and gardens on private properties.

We will fix any damage from our work or a problem in our networks, as close as possible to the original condition. Sometimes we may temporarily patch a footpath or paving to make it safe, and will return within 10 working days to restore the area to its original condition.

Trade waste is commercial and industrial liquid waste that is discharged into our wastewater network for treatment. Problem substances can be harmful if they are not removed before they enter the network.

Trade waste does not include wastewater from toilets or bathrooms (domestic wastewater).

Typical industries, trades and businesses include: food processors, restaurants, cafes, hospitals, dentists, laundries, hairdressers, metal finishers, service stations, freezing works, ships. For a more comprehensive list, see the Auckland Trade Waste Bylaw 2013: Schedule 1 and Schedule 2.

It is important to manage trade wastewater correctly, to prevent:

• sewer blockages or spills

• damage to the wastewater system

• health hazards for people

• harm to the environment.

We work with business customers to identify their level of risk, to help them understand their obligations and to assist them to comply at the lowest possible cost.

We also make regular site visits to monitor our customers, networks and treatment plants.

What are the requirements for my business?

The requirements you need to meet will vary depending on how your business activity is classified: low risk or trade waste agreement required. Check your classification.

Low risk: If your business activity is low risk, e.g. a lawyer’s office, your business activity does not need a trade waste agreement.

Trade waste agreement required: If you discharge liquid waste that is not classified as low risk, you need a trade waste agreement. Learn more: Trade waste agreements

Whether your waste is either low risk or not, you must comply with:

Auckland Trade Waste Bylaw 2013

These are the region-wide rules for the management, regulation and risk classification of trade waste. Download the bylaw

Trade waste control 2019

These standards set out the limits on the concentrations of commonly controlled substances that may be in trade waste entering the public wastewater system. Download the standards

If you are discharging wastewater that is not classified as low risk, you will need an agreement with us. This will set out the controls and monitoring we require to be in place, to assure us that your trade waste discharge is safe to receive into our wastewater network.

Apply for an agreement

If your waste is classified as low risk, you don't need an agreement.

Most customers who hold a trade waste agreement will be required to monitor their waste discharge and give us the results to show they comply. Your trade waste agreement sets out the details of self-monitoring. Learn more: Monitoring trade waste

To discuss your trade or business processes and risk level, contact us on (09) 539 7655 or email [email protected].

We consider low risk discharges to be a negligible risk. You must follow the conditions in the Trade Waste Bylaw 2013, but you do not need a trade waste agreement.

What is low risk trade waste?

It is any trade waste discharged which:

• is a result of an activity listed in Schedule 1 of the bylaw, meets the requirements listed in schedule 1 and meets the Trade Waste Controls 2019, and

• does not have any of the prohibited characteristics listed in Schedule 3 of the bylaw, and

• is less than 10 cubic metres per day and less than 0.5 litres per second.

Your responsibilities

You must meet the pre-treatment requirements listed in Schedule 1 of the bylaw, and treat your waste to our standards for controlled substances.

If the pre-treatment system is not able to meet those standards, you will be required to hold a trade waste agreement, and you must not discharge it without one.

Trade waste discharges from activities not listed in Schedule 1 of the bylaw are generally considered to be a higher risk. Typically, higher-risk customers will have robust systems to manage their trade waste and will undertake more frequent monitoring.

What is conditional trade waste?

It is any trade waste discharged:

• as a result of an activity not listed in Schedule 1 of the Auckland Council Trade Waste Bylaw 2013 and which complies with the Trade Waste Control 2019, unless authorised in a trade waste agreement

or

• from trade premises (including activities listed in Schedule 1 [page 16] of the bylaw) where the discharge exceeds 10 cubic metres per day or exceeds 0.5 litres per second

or

• which we determine to be conditional under Clause 7 (page 7) of the bylaw.

Your responsibilities

You must:

• follow the regulations set out in the bylaw

• have a trade waste agreement setting out your discharge limits and monitoring criteria. Learn more and apply for an agreement

• comply with the Trade Waste Control 2019 unless the agreement authorises an exemption.

Every customer who discharges trade waste that is not classified as low risk must hold a current trade waste agreement. See What is your classification?

To gain a trade waste agreement, you need to submit a management plan.

For full details, see Section 3 of the application form.

Your plan should reflect the activities on your site. You can provide sections of other plans (environmental, spill response, etc.).

Your plan will identify:

• potential risks to our wastewater system created by your site activities

• how you will reduce these risks.

Here are two examples:

Management plan for a large complex activity (PDF 275KB)

Management plan for a smaller simple activity (PDF 182KB).

Each agreement has a fixed term. When your agreement expires you must renew it.

To renew, please submit an updated application: you will need to tick ‘renew application’ in Section 1.

Download the application form

If we find that a customer is not complying, we will ask them to identify:

• what caused the non-compliance

• what they did to fix it

• what steps they have taken to ensure it does not happen again.

We may also do further audit monitoring to verify compliance.

View charges for processing, monitoring and site visits.

For the cost of sampling and analysis, please contact us on (09) 539 7655 or email [email protected].

The Auckland Trade Waste Bylaw 2013 and the Trade Waste Control 2019.

Please contact us on (09) 539 7655 or at [email protected].

Contact us on (09) 539 7655 or email [email protected] immediately to advise us of the changes.

A qualified contractor must remove the waste and take it to an industrial treatment plant.

Because controlled substances present specific risks, the discharge limits (listed in the Trade Waste Control 2019) protect the wastewater system, processes, people and the environment.

It may be possible to change some of the limits in the agreement. Please contact us on (09) 539 7655 or email [email protected].

When a controlled substance is not listed in your agreement, the standard limits in the Trade Waste Control 2019 apply.

Some substances such as heavy metals pass through wastewater treatment processes and build up in the solid waste stream. A large volume of trade waste containing a low concentration of a metal can equate to a significant amount of that metal being discharged over time. This is controlled by mass limits that take into account the volume of the discharge and control the total amount of a substance that is discharged.

You determine the mass of a substance by multiplying the concentration of the substance in the discharge by the volume of the discharge over 24 hours.

For example:

150 grams per cubic metre of oil and grease x 100 cubic metres discharged over 24 hours = 15,000 grams or 15 kilograms

Low pH can be corrosive to the wastewater system, generate odours which can cause a public nuisance, or release toxic hydrogen sulphide gas which can endanger workers.

High pH can be caustic to workers, or generate toxic gases or blockages when it is mixed with other discharges.

The IANZ website has a list of accredited laboratories for discharge testing. Search for a testing inspection facility under Laboratory - Chemical Testing/2.41 Waters (d) Effluents and trade wastes.

It is your responsibility to ensure the correct tests are performed and the laboratory is accredited for that test.

You must investigate, explain the cause, and take steps to ensure it doesn’t happen again. We will also undertake compliance audit monitoring. This involves further visits and laboratory testing, and we pass the costs on to the customer.

We aim to provide the highest standard of service at all times. However, if you are dissatisfied with a trade waste matter, you can contact us to make a complaint, or phone (09) 442 2222.