Water Tanks and bloody beaurocracy.

[rgum]

The gorgeous woman in my life orders two 3ooo ltr tanks to go in the front garden behind a high brick wall. What a great thing to do.

The installer informs her after all the planning and putting in the necessary pipes to wherever, that she needs to get council permits. After he layed in some pipes. Dipstick.
When I was fencing I informed any client of any permits they may have needed if they have other exceptional requirements.

Gawwwddd....Would you not inform your client before hand, of all things and hurdles you have to jump over before you commence your work?

Because he has given this info too late, there will be a delay in getting the work done whilst she waits for permits.
Had we'd known afore hand...permits in hand and away you go.

Malvern council require NO permit for a 6oooo to a 1o.oooo ltr tank YET she's gotta get a permit for 2 smaller tanks. What is this crap??????

I say pay him less for the delay. One he could have avoided. One he caused.

You can have this " over goverend ?????! "
Not for me.
I will be speaking to him.

And on a recent note from me...... Yes I'm looking for another job. I'll make it a change over as recomended. In Feb next yr. Then all my debts are paid.
I'll make it.

Cheers all Tony.

[joe greiner]

Verify with council whether or not a permit is really required. Upover here, delay alone doesn't justify backcharge or "liquidated damages." One must demonstrate or argue unforeseen extra costs. Denial of xxx days use of the work area after completion is often enough, with a reasonable valuation.

Bravo on the job front, Tony. Best of luck.

Joe

[Wood Borer]

Sounds like they are not too serious about saving water.

Anyway the other news sounds promising.

[Rossluck]

We ordered a 5000 gallon tank and on the rebate form SWMBO gave our address as street number 29-41, and so on.... which is common in SE Queensland on rural blocks. We recieved a letter from the council saying that our application needed further clarification because we were "in a block of units" or some such thing.

[JeffG.]

So, do you use these for a water supply for your garden - like a cistern?

[rgum]

The installer sais " she should have known the Bi-Laws."

I'm going to lecture him saying that there are millions of Federal laws, State laws and concil Bi-Laws.
How the hell are we supposed to know them all?
You as the installer should offer us the curtisy of informing us. Its an obligation I say.
He knows them and so he should tell us. Part of the service. Gawwwwdddd.

Yes! the water is for the garden. Massive garden.
Peaved off I am.

Cheers all.

[chrisp]

Bi-Laws

Kinky

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Could be worse... for a few years there tte guvmint was subsidising the installations of new farm dams and house water tanks around here in an effort to ease future water crisis. (They still could be... it'd be typical of 'em.)

But a couple of years ago they also started charging rates based on whether you have these items - on the premise that we're removing water from the catchment area, hence taking it out "public supply." More than recouping their subsidy in a few short years.

Fair enough (to some... I'm not happy about it! ) but we got the same argument when we built a house on Phillip Island. Phillip Island? For God's sake, the catchment area there is called Westernport Bay and/or the Bass Strait! Sheesh!

[Iain]

We want to put in 3-27000 litre tanks, council told us no permit required, just go for it as long as it's not for the house, to hook up to the house we just need to use a plumber to make it legal, but still no permit.
Must vary from shire to shire.

[Gingermick]

For God's sake, the catchment area there is called Westernport Bay and/or the Bass Strait

Stormwater runoff flows from westernport bay to phillip island?

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Stormwater runoff flows from westernport bay to phillip island?

Maybe I shoulda said the "dam" is called...

[Gingermick]

I had a quick look at Phillip island, 22000ha. With a roof area on an average house not being any more than .04ha, you would be taking 0.00018% of the available catchment.
That seems to me to be a reasonable place to start charging extra rates from
But would they charge people more if they had a flat block of land, small house and lots of trees? That would reduce the runoff by a fair bit.
Although, you could always have argues with them that by clearing a pad and adding an impervious structure like a roof, you would be increasing the runoff and should justifiably be entitled to the difference between the undeveloped runoff and the developed runoff