City of Cape Town Link

Keep our sewers free of stormwater

<div class="ExternalClass308F20147BD145738BC3BCAED6729FFF"><p>Stormwater entering the sewer network, also known as stormwater ingress, causes serious problems and must be prevented. All stormwater (rainwater) draining from your property must be channelled to the street or the city’s stormwater system, and not into the sewer network.</p></div>

<span> <h2 class="sectHeading">What is stormwater ingress? </h2></span> <p>The main cause of stormwater ingress is when property owners (often unknowingly) discharge stormwater to the sewer system. This mainly comes through illegal stormwater connections to the sewer system (e.g. gutters and drainpipes flowing into the sewer system). </p><p>When there are heavy downpours, stormwater enters the sewer system. This leads to the sewers overflowing, with raw sewage being spilled into the street or the stormwater system – ending up in the rivers and wetlands and polluting our natural waters. </p><p>Stormwater entering the sewage system can also overload the City’s wastewater treatment plants;,which may result in poorly treated water being released into the environment. </p> <span> <div class="notification with-heading dark-copy light-blue bg-light-grey"><div class="graphic with-border"> <i class="info fastfact"></i></div><div class="desc"><h4>Fast fact</h4><p>Stormwater connections to the sewer system are a contravention of the <a href="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/Bylaws%20and%20policies/Wastewater%20and%20Industrial%20Effluent%20By-law%202013.pdf" target="_blank">Wastewater By-law (2013)</a>. <a href="https://www.capetown.gov.za/Family%20and%20home/Residential-utility-services/Residential-water-and-sanitation-services/Know-your-water-regulations">Learn more about our water by-laws. </a></p></div></div></span> <span> <h2 class="sectHeading">Help us prevent stormwater ingress</h2></span> <p> <strong>You can help prevent stormwater from entering the sewerage system by:</strong></p><ul><li>checking your property for illegal stormwater connections to the sewer system;</li><li>cooperating with City officials conducting stormwater ingress inspections;</li><li>immediately calling a <a href="https://www.capetown.gov.za/Family%20and%20home/Residential-utility-services/Residential-water-and-sanitation-services/Find-a-qualified-registered-plumber-in-Cape-Town">qualified, registered plumber</a> to correct any illegal connections;</li><li>fixing leaking taps and toilet cisterns; </li><li>ensuring that all sewer manholes on your property have covers; </li><li>replacing any cracked or damaged sewers on your property; or</li><li>reporting any missing or damaged manhole covers in the street or on public land to the City. </li></ul><p>As part of our efforts to control the situation, we conduct door-to-door compliance inspections to check for illegal connections. Where illegal connections are found, the property owner is issued with a compliance order to rectify the matter within a stipulated period, failing which a fine is issued. </p><p>We have also tightened our by-laws and have introduced a <a href="https://www.capetown.gov.za/City-Connect/apply/municipal-services/water-and-sanitation/submit-a-certificate-of-compliance-of-water-installation">Certificate of Water Compliance</a> to ensure that all properties are inspected for stormwater-to-sewer connections before a property can be sold. </p>

Prevent stormwater flowing from your property into the sewer network by making sure you follow.