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Ever wondered why Auckland has such massive flooding problems and what you can do as a home owner to prevent this happening to you? Introducing New Zealand made Storm water Detention Tanks, designed particularly for Aucklanders’ and our beautiful Auckland weather. Solve your problems once and for all today

What is classified as “Storm water”?

Storm water is any form of precipitation, including rain and snow melt that has come into contact with the earth, or any other surface. This water will evaporate, seep into the ground, or be absorbed by vegetation. If it doesn’t, storm water will become surface runoff, flowing off the land and into storm drains, streams, rivers or lakes.

Storm water can come from all types of land, whether it is agricultural, residential, industrial or commercial.

Why are Good Storm water Detention Methods Important?

Storm water can be very problematic. Firstly, due to the volume and timing of the surface runoff water and secondarily, due to the potential pollution that it may be carrying.

In an environment uninterrupted by human development, water is naturally processed through the water cycle. The earth’s atmosphere continually absorbs water from the earth’s surface, purifies it and then precipitation returns it to be used for vegetation growth. Eventually the water is once again evaporated and the cycle begins again.

However when human development alters the surface of the earth (with the addition of hard surfaces, such as roads and buildings) we are inevitably interfering with water’s ability to be absorbed back into the soil. In essence, we are interrupting the natural water cycle.

The construction of storm sewers for rapid drainage as well as grading and paving techniques, further alters the established storm water flow path and affects the natural water absorption process. This can result in soil erosion as well as the transportation of toxic debris and chemicals, including oil and grease, fertilizers, pesticides, animal faeces and other refuse and contamination.

The need for effective strategies to prevent storm water pollution and process storm water in a way that returns it safely back to the natural water cycle, is becoming increasingly recognised. You will also find more useful information about storm water solutions here.

What are the advantages of Storm water Detention Tanks?

There are many advantages to using Detention Tanks as a means of storm water management. It supports environmental sustainability by diminishing the creation of polluted storm water thus reducing the environmental impacts on lakes, streams and rivers.

A well designed and correctly installed underground Detention Tank will intercept silt, floating refuse, and other contaminants, thereby reducing health risks. It will additionally store and then release in a controlled manner, the purified water at a rate more conducive to natural processing.

Effective storm water management potentially contributes to community safety by reducing the risk of urban flooding and erosion. It can be used as a resource and cost-cutting exercise, as human population demand exceeds the availability of consumable water. If water detention and other efficient techniques were more widely used, urban environments could in theory become self-sustaining in terms of water.

For help and advice when it comes to installing your own Storm water Detention Tank, be sure to speak to the friendly staff at APD, Auckland’s respected experts in the field of Storm water Detention.

Updated 2017 It is no secret that we get a lot of rain in Auckland and with the continued population growth, the number of houses being built is also on the increase. This means new tracts of land are being developed and in some cases the land mass is high in clay composite which makes drainage an issue for the houses being built on the sections. Couple that with getting our famous Auckland “downpours” and you have big problems. The intense rainfall can overwhelm our aging storm water system and flooding can occur making the Insurance companies and home owners upset.

This was why the Auckland Council put in regulations around storm water Detention Tank design and storm water detention systems some years ago, making the installation of storm water Detention Tanks “required for consent purposes”. The idea was to give some relief to the already stressed storm water system in Auckland.

On the North Shore of Auckland, it is compulsory to install an underground Detention Tank, as a lot of the subdivision areas are based on clay. With the advent of the Auckland Super City Council, parts of Auckland City and what was Manukau City have now had legislation passed also making the installation of underground Detention Tanks compulsory in parts of the region. It is wise to check with your council before commencing the project to see where you stand and if you need a storm water Detention Tank then contact us to discuss your requirements. APD custom build tanks to suit all types of situations.

If you have any concerns, you are welcome to speak with our underground Detention Tank experts and they can guide you on who to contact at the council. It is interesting to note that the Rodney District Council requires Detention Tanks for storm water in parts of their borough also. Storm water Detention Tanks have also been seen in Papakura and Pukekohe, as councils step up the projects of reducing storm water and waste water flooding . It would seem we get a lot of rain in the Auckland region! The councils are being lobbied by the insurance companies who continually see the increased damage caused by storm water flooding when storm water Detention Tanks are not installed. Insurance costs spiral upwards and home owners with no underground storm water tanks get equally frustrated by rising insurance costs and insurance excesses increasing each flood.

The heavy flooding caused by storm water generally gets into household basements and causes massive problems for home owners with damage to furniture, flooring. wall panels, and electrical goods.

What are storm water Detention Tanks and how do they work?

Storm water Detention Tanks are tanks that temporarily store rainwater collected from your roof and other hard surfaces on your property and then release the water at a much slower rate.

Intense rainfall events and storms can dump large amounts of water on your property in a short period of time, so Detention Tanks are often referred to as storm water Detention Tanks because they catch and hold water from these intense events in the short term and release the water over a longer period. The controlled release of the water is through a small diameter hole, called an orifice. Without a Detention Tank the water rushes into the local drainage system in an uncontrolled manner. Temporarily storing or “detaining” the water and then slowly releasing it over a period of time, reduces short term peak outflows from your property and minimises the impact of the water on the local environment, reducing the risk of local flooding and erosion in local streams.

Storm water Detention Tanks, are made by APD (Advanced Plastics and Design) custom built to each project. We can normally produce these tanks in one week or less and they come ready for installation in your building site. The plastic is very strong and robust making the tank a perfect solution to minimise flooding. At APD we have been custom building plastic tanks and other items for many years. If you need it made in plastic, then we are the company to make it for you.

You will notice in the photo on our plastic Detention Tank page that these tanks come in a range of sizes.

Contact APD for your next water Detention Tank

We also do Chemical Tanks, Water Tanks and anything else made of plastic. You can see some of the projects on this page.