Water and Wastewater Connections
Need a Water, Wastewater or Stormwater Connection?
If you are building a new house, developing property, or relocating an existing service you may need to make a temporary or permanent disconnection, move an existing connection or get new water, wastewater or stormwater connections.
An application to connect or disconnect must be completed for any new connection to a CODC reticulated water, wastewater or stormwater system. No connection is to be made before an approval is granted.
You will need to:
- Contact Council and check whether there is a connection available.
- If there is no connection check whether you are able to connect to the Council services and what fees apply.
- Engage a qualified plumber or drainlayer to do the work.
- Advise your contractor of any special requirements relating to your new connection, for example any Resource Consent conditions.
Who makes the Application?
Your plumber or drainlayer will make an application to connect on your behalf and complete the work at your cost. Only CODC approved contractors can work on council assets.
What is an Approved Contractor?
A Water Services approved contractor is a plumber and/or drainlayer who has:
- registered their qualifications with Council,
- agreed to follow Council process for making connections,
- agreed to complete any connection to a Council service in compliance with the latest engineering standards and Council's Water Supply Bylaw,
- is Green or Gold SiteWise pre-qualified, and
- agreed to provide as-built drawings within 10 days of completing the connection work.
Please Note: Approved contractor status does not imply any assessment of the quality of work of that contractor. Council does not accept any responsibility for the standard of work of contractors on the approved contractor list.
If you would like to know more about becoming an approved contractor, contact Council's Water Services Team.
Who Owns the Pipes?
Council is responsible for all pipes up to the point of supply to your property. For most ratepayers the point of supply for water is your water meter and for wastewater is the connection on the main. Any problems up to and including the point of supply are managed by Council. Any problem within your property is the ratepayer's responsibility. If you are not sure call us.
Non-residential and Hydrant Connections
Backflow protection is required on all connections to a reticulated town water supply.
Backflow is where water or other liquids are inadvertently sucked back through a connection and into the town supply. This can have significant health and safety implications.
Backflow protection is built into standard metered residential connections and nothing additional is required. All non-residential connections must be or assessed for any additional backflow protection requirements.
From 14 November 2022, hydrant access is restricted to Fire and Emergency New Zealand, Central Otago District Council and our contractor. Any queries about hydrant access should be directed to Water Services
Fees and Charges
Charges for connection applications and water use charges are detailed in Council's fees and charges schedule.
A financial or a development contribution may apply to new connections. If your property that has not previously been rated for water or wastewater, or you are adding extra connections to an existing site, a financial or a development contribution may be payable.
These contributions are levied under the Local Government Act 2002 or the Resource Management Act 1991 using the provisions of the District Plan. Contributions are based on the cost implications of network growth or the environmental impacts of growth. These contributions are payable either at the time of the relevant resource, building, subdivision or land use consent, or on authorisation of a new service connection.
Need More Information?
For more information call Council on (03) 440 0056 or email water@codc.govt.nz
