Approval for works
Whether you are a property owner, contractor or developer, you may require approval before working near our assets.
Under Section 90 of the Water Services Act 2012, Water Corporation requires you to request approval if your proposed works are in, over, under or within the Prescribed Proximities to our assets defined below.
These proximities have been established to protect our assets from damage as well as ensuring that third parties building near our assets avoid costs and inconvenience associated with removing or altering your work as necessary to prevent damage.
| Type of works | Asset type | Asset size | Prescribed proximity (distance from the asset) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ground disturbing works Including movement of heavy vehicles, ground compaction, dewatering, earthworks, open and trenchless excavations |
Sewer pipelines | All | 2m |
| Main drains | All | ||
| Ground disturbing works | Water supply pipelines | < 300mm diameter | 4m |
| Ground disturbing works | Water supply pipelines | ≥ 300mm diameter | 6m |
| Sewer pressure pipelines | All | ||
| Drainage pressure mains | All | ||
|
Buildings, structures and other obstructions Including residential/commercial/industrial buildings, pools, sheds, carports, major developments, transport infrastructure, services, equipment installed on our assets, stockpiles, ground anchors, large trees |
All assets | All | 10m both sides of the asset 15m above & below the asset |
| Pile driving | All pipelines | All | 100m |
| Blasting | All pipelines | All | 1,000m |
For further details of the Prescribed Proximities and relevant legislation, refer to our guidelines.
Work that does not require approval
- Light weight structures, fences and walls than can be readily removed
- Planting and removing trees that have a mature height of less than 5m
Note that requirements still apply to these types of works – refer to Section 8 of our guidelines
Ready to apply?
Use the form below to let us know about your project and to seek our approval for doing any of the following types of work in, over, under or within the Prescribed Proximities:
- development of key infrastructure (such as freeways, railways, bridges, tunnels, major building developments
- installation of buried and overhead services
- movement of heavy vehicles
- causing excessive vibrations (such as blasting, pile driving, ground compaction)
- dewatering
- earthworks
- open and trenchless excavations
- planting and removal of trees
- installation of equipment (such as telecommunications antennas) on our assets.
Make sure you have detailed information about the location of our assets before you apply. This includes Before You Dig Australia plans and potholing information (where required).
Please complete and attach to your application the Asset Protection Risk Assessment Form (APRA) to assist in the processing of your application. The relevant sections to be completed are shown on the example APRA form.
Apply online before the work starts
For applications to build residential, commercial or industrial buildings, sheds, garages, carports, retaining walls and swimming pools or spas please lodge your applications through BuilderNet.