Wastewater risk management plans
The Water Services Act 2021 requires wastewater network operators to prepare and implement wastewater network risk management plans, in accordance with timeframes we set.
A wastewater network risk management plan needs to identify risks and hazards affecting a wastewater network (such as overflows) and set out how the operator will manage them. The things that need to be covered in a plan are listed in section 139 of the Water Services Act 2021.
We understand risk management plans are already required in many regions, either through regional plans or as a condition of resource consents.
Future wastewater risk management plans will complement national standards for the management of overflows and bypasses. Under the wastewater standard, all overflows and bypasses must be identified and categorised according to risk, with associated monitoring and reporting obligations.