Generational Assets – Prioritising Stormwater Maintenance

Modern stormwater treatment assets are a form of water sensitive urban design (WSUD) that aims to reduce the volumes of sediment, nutrients and gross pollutants discharged into receiving waterways. Well-maintained, they can last for generations.

Regular maintenance and checkups play a critical part in managing stormwater assets. Not only will an appropriate maintenance schedule provide peace of mind, but it also ensures the long-term function of your system and ongoing compliance with municipal stormwater regulations and safety protocols.

Neglected or under-maintained systems threaten to fall into disrepair, are costly to replace, and further burden downstream systems leaving our environment vulnerable. Maintenance is vital. Maximizing the lifespan of generational stormwater assets underpins modern environmental planning, prevents premature decommission and preserves the health of waterways in our urban landscapes.

Benefits of a Good Maintenance Program

Maintenance programs ensure ideal performance across the lifecycle of your stormwater assets with many associated benefits.

• Reduced risk of premature device replacements – Heavy weathering may occur during unforeseen stormwater volumes, spills, or heavy pollutant loads. Maintenance helps early detection of damage and prevents breakdown of stormwater infrastructure.
• Prevention of environmental impacts – With well-maintained devices, asset managers have greater peace of mind knowing that their stormwater management is preventing local water quality issues and environmental impacts.
• Meeting municipal stormwater requirements – Regular maintenance helps asset managers prepare for council inspections and prevent costly fines, breaches and compliance issues.

Other benefits of efficient maintenance practices include improving safety and functionality of stormwater systems, reducing flood risks during rainfall events, and the improvement of water quality.

Consistent, Quality Maintenance Provides Long Term Equity

Modular wear and tear can occur for many reasons, from frequent rain to flooding and heavy spills. These events can compromise the structural integrity of your stormwater assets. Early identification and vigilance are key elements of mitigating ongoing damage.

Maintenance services are part of our core offering to meet our customers’ stormwater needs. Our National Maintenance team play an integral role in fulfilling SPEL’s mission to drive best practices in stormwater management and build a clean ‘Joy in Water’ future for all.

The maintenance of stormwater assets involves highly specialised work. Technicians often require certification to work in confined spaces, detect hazardous gases, and handle contaminated sediments and pollutants. Industry-specific knowledge is a requirement of effective maintenance practices.

Our maintenance solutions for SPEL products include clean-outs, part replacements and repairs of all our products and related proprietary devices. We provide full diagnostic reporting for any maintenance conducted by our team and our systems can be tailored to provide you with automatic warnings before larger, costlier problems arise.

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR MAINTENANCE CAPABILITIES