Road Drainage & Street Cleaning

Street cleaning

Council wants to keep the district looking its best at all times. A key component to achieving this is to have our roads free of litter. If you find any litter or debris (glass, dead animals, etc) on the road, please contact us to arrange for this to be cleaned up.

Kerb and Channel

The primary purpose of kerb and channelling is to control stormwater off the road and direct it into the stormwater system via mud tanks, catch pits or drainage sumps. The kerbing also helps to define the edge of the road and provides a neat interface between the roadway and the verge. Kerb and channel on residential streets is cleaned in spring and autumn using a sucker truck. The kerb in commercial areas is cleaned more frequently.

Sumps and Catch Pits

Council staff inspect all of the sumps annually and any that require cleaning are then cleared using the sucker truck. In some places even if the sump has been cleaned the water may still not drain away.

In many places within the district water is drained into soakpits rather than a stormwater pipe. In very heavy rain the soakpits are unable to drain the water away as fast as it is falling. In this case the water should clear within a few hours of the rain stopping.

If the water doesn't drain away in light rain, then it is likely that there is a blockage in the pipe or the soakpit has stopped working. If this occurs, please contact us and let us know by phone or email (below).

Soakpits become blocked with silt over time and stop working. When this happens the soakpit may be able to be flushed out, or it may just need to be replaced.

Flooding

If you have seen flooding occurring on the road, please ring the Council. If the flooding might encroach into private property, or is a danger to traffic please let the operator know and the work will be given a high priority. If the problem is an ongoing one, please let us know and we will undertake further investigation.

Autumn leaf fall

Leaf fall is generally from April to July although heavy rain, strong winds or a harsh frost can change this process. While the leaves do not damage the roads, they can block drains and cause flooding.

We try to programme the sweeper truck to clear leaves before they cause a problem but this is not always possible. If you are physically fit and able to clear the leaves from any drain outside your property, it may help to reduce the risk of flooding.

Phone: (03) 440 0056 anytime

Email: roading@codc.govt.nz