Flooding and Stormwater Management
With extensive regional development, road infrastructure and public works underway across NSW, the civil products required as part of those projects is comprehensive, certainly as we’ve witnessed the impact flooding has had on roads and housing estates.
On the subject of civil drainage systems, unfortunately, there are many instances where these projects have not been adequately planned and executed with correct products which has either contributed to or caused flooding and pooling of water.
Standards and Compliance Requirements
Given the nature of civil works, there are a number of standards and compliance requirements engineers and contractors need to meet inclusive of the products they specify for the projects.
The selection of civil stormwater and drainage products for road infrastructure for instance, is critical. Where products are specified based solely on price, there is the risk that those products are not robust or high-quality and do not comply with Australian Standards - leading to a risk of failure and thus injury or even death.
When considering the standards and compliance requirements, this includes:
Materials and workmanship is in accordance with the relevant standards of the Standards Association of Australia.
Load bearing capacity of materials, being the maximum load that can be applied, is a critical factor in determining the material properties of the chosen products and systems.
The bridges and culverts selected also need to be capable of coping with additional overflow from the proposed drain and consideration of needs/intent of the infrastructure (i.e. is it to drain away water after rain or divert flood water for instance) will influence products and design selected.
For commercial and residential buildings and developments aesthetics is also important as is the functionality of design and possible future requirements.
What products are involved in a civil drainage system?
Dependent on the application, generally speaking there are number of products required including:
Headwalls – which is essentially a small retaining wall placed at an inlet of outlet of a stormwater pipe or culvert. Headwalls are available in different shapes and sizes dependent on the requirement and application.
Pits – are used for the management of stormwater, not so much to hold the water for a long period of time but to facilitate the water to pass through drainage pipes at a rate that keep up with the water.
Pit Risers – help to increase the depth of a stormwater or gully pit and are available in a range of sizes and offer great flexibility in meeting depth requirements without the need of additional excavation work.
Grates and Lids – grates assist with keeping stormwater and drainage systems clean and easier to process for water recycling etc. On the other hand, lids are designed to fully seal manholes, sewerage systems and underground pipes dependent on requirements and use.
Culverts – tunnel like structures to assist with the flow of water under a road, railroad or similar obstruction.
Mid West Concrete design and manufactures a range of quality, compliant precast concrete civil products, made with 40mPA concrete. The Mid West Concrete team can assist you with your civil project, contact us to learn more.