Industrial Stormwater Licence

Stormwater is rainwater that falls onto land and buildings, runs into gutters and downpipes, soaks into the ground or runs off hard surfaces and into waterways. Rotorua Lakes Council (RLC) provides reticulated piped stormwater drainage systems in urban areas. These systems carry your property's stormwater into local streams and lakes.

To protect the waterways from contaminants that threaten our freshwater ecosystems.

Stormwater flows into streams and lakes and can carry contaminants along the way. Because this water flows into the natural environment, we need to ensure there is nothing in the stormwater that might harm the natural environment - we all want clean streams, rivers and lakes.

The Rotorua Lakes Council Water Services and Trade Waste Bylaw states sites that have high risk activities require a conditional stormwater licence. A key requirement of the Licence is a Pollution Prevention Plan that identifies and controls potential contaminants, so contaminants don’t exceed permitted levels. Pre-treatment will be required for some industries and some sites.

Council maintains a register of licenced premises where there is a potential risk to water quality and may audit premises to check Pollution Prevention Plans, site practices and pre-treatment devices. Council may sample and test the water that flows from your site for compliance purposes.

If your business includes an activity listed on the high risk table, or includes unsealed yard areas, you are required to hold a stormwater licence. Please complete the stormwater licence application form.

Please complete the form online or return the completed form by email to info@rotorualc.nz or drop off to the Council customer services team. We’re here to help so if you’re unsure about your site’s classification, please contact the stormwater team on info@rotorualc.nz or call Council on 07 348 4199 to ask for the stormwater licensing officer to contact you.

Previous stormwater licences have expired and have not been re-issued. We require a new application to ensure the information we hold is current and accurate.

Current fees and charges are listed on our website.

If you would like a site visit to assist your understanding of the stormwater on your site, please contact the Council customer centre on 07 348 4199 to arrange for a water quality officer to contact you.

Stormwater should consist of clean rainwater. Waterways in urban, farming, and forestry areas are polluted by contaminants. This threatens our freshwater ecosystems and can make the water unsafe for us to use and enjoy.

Healthy waterways are important for many cultural practices, including exercising ahikaroa, kaitiakitanga, and mahinga kai.

The Bay of Plenty Regional Council Regional Natural Resources Plan (RNPP) lists levels of contaminants permitted in stormwater - please refer to DW R20, page 36 of the plan.

Sediment - which can degrade ecosystems by making water cloudy (turbid) and smothering natural habitats on the bottoms and banks of rivers and lakes.

Nutrients – like nitrogen and phosphorus can lead to algal blooms that degrade rivers and lakes, and reduce their cultural and recreational value.

Heavy metals – such as copper and zinc threaten freshwater species. The metals can also accumulate and make them unsafe for us to eat.

Pathogens – threaten freshwater species and make people ill if they drink or swim in polluted water.

Water can carry heavy metals, oils and hydrocarbons, and any other chemicals stored or used on the site. Water can also carry sediment and gravel from unpaved sites.

If the site is well managed, with controls in place, the risk of contaminating our water can be low.

Rotorua Lakes Council monitors water quality and if water is found to be contaminated, will conduct investigations to find the source of the contamination, which may include inspecting and sampling stormwater from your site.

If there are no issues with stormwater quality, there will be no charge for this sampling. If the stormwater leaving your site is found to be contaminated – the cost of inspecting and sampling may be passed on to the owner of the business operating on the site.

Rotorua Lakes Council will work with you to help you identify and remedy any contamination. If the risk remains high then BOPRC will be informed. BOPRC may also require you to hold a resource consent for your stormwater discharge.

A Pollution Prevention Plan is a plan developed by the business to address pollution risks from businesses.

Check out this guide from Bay of Plenty Regional Council and Tauranga City Council which has been designed to help commercial and industrial sites assess pollution risks from their businesses and develop a pollution prevention plan to address the risks.

This guide will help you write your plan, step-by-step and includes checklists to assess actual and potential stormwater pollution issues.

Need a Pollution Prevention Plan template? Click here.