Storm Water Management Solution?

kai

kai

kai

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I am in the process of buying a new build. I have just had a solicitor letter to inform me the development is subject to a Storm Water Management system. It operates to collect surface water in the estate. It states

You will together with all other owners, be liable to pay a proportion of the cost of maintaining the system.

The solicitor is not aware of the contributions that need to be made only nothing has been paid to date!

Does anyone have such a solution?
 
Just a big hole in the ground filled with breadbaskets and covered over, stores the initial surge of water rather than trying to ram it down a tiny sewer pipe. It could even be a gravel overflow.
Anyway, they get blocked up with sediment and need the rubbish filter cleaned and the hole checked for sediment buildup. Probably the sort of noddy job that management companies charge a ridiculous fee for, I would guess they would be the people to ask.
 
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It's either an attenuation tank as above or something like a klargester rain water harveser that collects and stores rain water and is used for flashing toilets etc.
 
There should be an insurance you can take out like the church insurance you can get if your within the parish. Sorry there is a specific term but it escapes me.

Sounds like it may be an unadopted sw drainage system which is pretty typical for house builders mass estates if it were adopted then the local water company would be responsible.

Just check if the roads have been adopted by highways if not you could all be in for another bill, typical developer trick not to build the roads to adaptable standards saving cash and pushing the responsibility to the home owners
 
It states its a aquacell and Garastor stormwater system. I just want to check it out and not end up with a massive maintenance bill each quarter / month.

It's a small estate of 20 detached houses. I'll try to speak to the developer tomorrow I need to understand the sort of fee expected before I sign
 
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If it's built properly with silt traps it should be maintenance free apart from emptying the traps every so often, ask what the hydrobrake is, it could be brick built or a slide in to a manhole, the brick built is less maintenance however not many can build them anymore.

I assume you are in a flood zone or the connection into the road is very small, check why they needed attenuation and if you will be covered by your insurance if you are in a flood zone.
 
I don't think so most major cities are built around rivers / estuaries have a look at the map above around London, there would be chaos if we were unable to mortgage a home in a flood zone.

He may not be in a flood zone it may be that the water company only allow 10 litres per second into the main drainage or planning says the properties cannot drain more than what was there already which if it were a green field is effectively nil so all the surface water has to be dealt with on site through soak aways and rainwater harvesting.

If they have an attenuation system my guess would be they can only drain a certain litres per second and thwy have to store enough for a 100 year storm on site
 
An new build estate that I have done some work on recently has some sort of water collection system. The estate hasn't been finished yet and they have dug it up once, there was so much water it pushed the block paved road up.
 
The estate has been built for about a year, this is the last house to be sold on the estate. I am going to speak to the developer today but so far no other member of the estate has had to make any contributions.

I dont fancy signing a 25yr morgage then have a huge bill for maintaining the system or repair :(

I am a little worried but, the other owners must have known about this and they still went ahead and purchased. The site itself is near a flood zone according to the map about 1/2 mile from the boundry of the warning, so its not directly in the any warning area. I know the garden was heavily waterlogged when we viewed it but that was to be sorted with a full drainage system and bedding, sleepers etc prior to completetion.
 
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Well, i have just spoken to the developers he is postive this only applies towards plots 2,3 and 4 where the aquacells are located. I am plot 7 anyway he is going to check the following and i would like this in writing to avoid any maintenance fees.

Anyhow should this affect me the only maintenance for such a system (there are no moving parts) is a jet wash should there be a very heavy water downfall. Cost should be minimum. Either way i think ill need this confirmed 100% and something in writing from the solicitor.

For anyone intested this is the system in place!

Water Storm System
 
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Guys, can i get some advice.

This is the message from the developer: Following review of the enigneering layout the storm water from plot 7 (my house) runs through plot 6 and into the unit in the garden of plot 2 before discharging to the watercourse downstream.

i suppose technically a maintenance liability exists as the storm dischange makes use of the system but in practise this is no different from any other drain other than the control chamnber may need housing/jetting out occasionally inline with the manufactures instrutions. There is no cost exposure.

So....

Was i worrying over nothing, or do i really need to find out the exposure to me?
 
You might want to bring this up with a solicitor as Gilly says above, you may need a wayleave over their land, they could effectively block off the pipe at their boundary or not allow you access to repair if it blocks.
 
Gilly said:
I think I'd want assurance from my solicitor rather than the developer.
Click to expand...

I have checked with the solicitor - this is the offical response.

Storm Water System
The Transfer states at Schedule Five point 4 that the storm water system is the responsibility of all those on the estate. You have a duty with all other owners to inspect and maintain including paying a proportion of the maintenance costs of the system.

Plot 2 will have the day to day control if the system floods than there are 2 arguments. All owners have a responsibility to maintain and inspect so that could negate any claim that you may have if the area floods. It could also be argued that plot 2 has access which no one else has and should take on the responsibility of inspect and maintain. As the flow of water is away from you then that will act in your favour. Until this is tested and I hope it never is there is no way of being certain where liability will lie.

As to the maintenance costs to the system. There is no planned system in place and no schedule. The system will in all probability work well with little maintenance needed. I can raise an enquiries as to any flooding in the area and let you know the results.

I am sorry I cannot give you a definative answer on this.


I have also had clarifcation from the developer.

“The system is private and Welsh Water has no involvement with the storm drainage. The maintenance of this control chamber involves routine inspection it is anticipated by plot2 as it is within the enclosed rear garden. In reality there is a catch pit on the inlet and the flow control chamber on the outlet so any build-up of silt in the outflow would be visible which would result in a direct outflow rather than a retained or timed discharge but the storm system in WDL view continues to operate. “
 
Catch pit is fine as long as it is emptied, once it's full it'll just overflow the silt into the egg crate and eventually block up, likely yes, time decades.

I think you need a wayleave agreement for access and a management agreement with everyone chipping in a small amount each year as when it fails it will cost a few quid or some sort of insurance that everyone takes on, typically part of the deeds and legally enforceable if someone doesn't pay.
 
Garastor and aquacell systems are typically offline attentuation schemes, i.e. water only goes into the aquacells in a flood scenario, the rest of the time the drains function just like any others.

No hydrobrake or other fancy high cost items just an overflow that leads to a storage tank thats only used when the drains can't cope.

At least that's how they are supposed to be used, ask the developer for a plan of the attenuation scheme and see how it looks in comparison to Wavins standard schemes.
 
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