The Queensland summer has officially arrived, bringing its signature wild weather along with it.<\/p>\n
So, what can you do if your yard fills with stormwater?<\/p>\n
Hundreds of residents have contacted Brisbane City Council so far this year to report the problem, but remedying it can be slightly more complicated.\u00a0<\/p>\n
According to experts, good engineering and neighbourly cooperation are the best options for keeping your property safe.<\/p>\n
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Water inundating a backyard in Brisbane during an\u00a0October 2020 storm. (Supplied: Kerry Jackson)<\/p>\n
A big year for storms<\/p>\n
Stormwater runoff is water that isn’t absorbed by the earth and flows across the land until it reaches storm drain systems.<\/p>\n
This year has seen Brisbane’s highest storm activity since 2013, including dozens of severe thunderstorms and an uncommon south-east Queensland tropical cyclone.<\/a><\/p>\n Brisbane City Council has been contacted about 700 times about stormwater runoff since January.<\/p>\n The council is only responsible for stormwater runoff coming from streets or council property. (Supplied: Leigh Bird)<\/p>\n 2020 and 2021 were also relatively wet years, with 1,379 and 1,228 reports made respectively.\u00a0<\/p>\n But a spokesperson said the council isn’t responsible for dealing with runoff water moving from property to property.<\/p>\n “Stormwater runoff between private properties falls outside council’s responsibility and we encourage residents to seek independent professional advice to resolve the issue,” the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n How to deal with runoff<\/p>\n While the council won’t help if they aren’t directly responsible, there are actions residents can take to improve their property’s capacity to handle stormwater.<\/p>\n Making sure new builds or renovations adhere to council regulations can help to address the problem before it arises, according to Stormwater Queensland secretary David Simpson.\u00a0<\/p>\n “The council have requirements for stormwater runoff from new developments, so it’s in development codes that are available on the Brisbane City Council website,” he said.<\/p>\n “The main thing is it prescribes floor levels … the floor level has to be a certain height above the ground or above the 50-year Average Recurrence Interval (ARI) overland flow.”<\/p>\n A year of heavy storms and a tropical cyclone has seen huge amounts of water dumped on Brisbane. (ABC News: Crystalyn Brown\u00a0)<\/p>\n Mr Simpson said speaking to and working with your neighbours to address flows from their property can help avoid legal stoushes.\u00a0<\/p>\n “If it’s just coming from a neighbour’s property, it’s your responsibility to either divert the flow around your house … or make a provision to collect that water and runoff and run it to a legal point of discharge,” he said.<\/p>\n “But certainly, if there is a problem caused by new development, then council might well get involved,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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