Building, Developing & Businesses

Explore what is required when building or developing and for your business.

Water & Sewerage Connections

To connect a water meter to your property you must complete the following steps:

Standard 20mm water connection in a new subdivision

Complete a Form 1 - Application for compliance assessment(PDF, 194KB) and lodge with payment at one of Council's Customer Service Centres.

Water connection 20mm (not in a new subdivision)

Complete the Water and Sewerage Services Private Works Application Form(PDF, 260KB) and return to one of Council's Customer Service Centres. Fitzroy River Water staff will then provide you with a written quotation to complete the work.

Greater than a 20mm water connection

Complete the Water and Sewerage Services Private Works Application Form(PDF, 260KB) and return to one of Council's Customer Service Centres. Fitzroy River Water staff will then provide you with a written quotation to complete the work.

Additional sewer connection and/or alterations to a sewer

Complete the Water and Sewerage Services Private Works Application Form(PDF, 260KB) and return to one of Council's Customer Service Centres. Fitzroy River Water staff will then provide you with a written quotation to complete the work.

Trade Waste

Trade waste is the liquid discharged from industry, business, trade or manufacturing premises which has the potential to enter the sewerage system. Trade waste may have an organic strength many times that of domestic sewage and can contain other substances which sewage systems are not designed to treat.

Rockhampton Regional Council has a responsibility to manage trade waste under the Water Supply (Safety and Reliability) Act 2008 and the Trade Waste Environmental Management Plan(PDF, 245KB). Under these legislations, it is an offence to discharge trade waste to the sewage system unless a trade waste approval has been issued by Fitzroy River Water.

To apply or renew your trade waste discharge permit you must complete and submit the following three forms to Fitzroy River Water:

Once Fitzroy River Water approves the discharge of trade waste into the sewage system, the trade waste generator (business) is responsible for:

  • Compliance with the permit/agreement conditions
  • Installing, operating and maintaining best practice pre-treatment devices and processes
  • Advising us of any change to the quality and/or quantity of waste generated
  • Supplying trade waste approval, record of maintenance, disposal dockets, Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) and other relevant documents upon request.

Installation of a trade waste device is regulated work in accordance with the Plumbing and Drainage Act 2018 and requires approval from Rockhampton Regional Council prior to installation.

The Trade Waste Brochure(PDF, 744KB) provides information about trade waste, the approval process and the Trade Waste Management Plan.

The Trade Waste Fact Sheet - Application Guide(PDF, 306KB) outlines the approval process and what is required to gain approval for the disposal of trade waste.

The Trade Waste Fact Sheet - Treatment Device Installation(PDF, 272KB) outlines the steps required to gain approval and install a trade waste treatment device.

View trade waste fees on the Fitzroy River Water Service Request Form.

Before You Dig

Dial Before You Dig is a referral service for information on locating underground utilities anywhere in Australia.

Fitzroy River Water provides water and sewerage plans that include water meters, abandoned water assets, private sewerage connections and abandoned sewer locations to the public (not including internal sewerage blockage plans) as part of the service.

Rockhampton Regional Council Electrical Standards

Rockhampton Regional Council's Electrical Standards(PDF, 617KB) document outlines the requirements for Contractors undertaking electrical projects on behalf of Council.  

Contractors must ensure that they comply with these Electrical Standards and any other project specific requirements. 

Contractors are advised that this document is subject to regular review and it is their responsibility to ensure that they are working to the current version. 

NOTE: Important changes are being made particularly in the switchboard design area of Electrical Standard Revision 2J March 2011. Please refer to Electrical Supervisor FRW before any final decisions regarding switchboard design.

Metering

Fitzroy River Water provides guidelines and a policy for sub-metering for multi-unit developments and metering of fire lines. Metered standpipe hire is also available.

Sub-metering for multi-unit developments

Sub-metering refers to the supply of a metered connection to all new multi-unit developments and those specified non-residential premises. In addition to the stipulation of mandatory installation of sub-meters within all new multi-unit complexes, the Queensland Plumbing and Wastewater Code (QPW Code) also provides for a master meter which will measure the supply of water to a complex as a whole.

The Sub-Metering Guidelines and Specifications(PDF, 301KB) have been developed to ensure new owners of units will be able to identify their water consumption thus encouraging responsible water usage.

The Sub-Metering Policy(PDF, 120KB) outlines the processes for Fitzroy River Water to effectively implement the QPW Code. The policy applies to all developments requiring plumbing and drainage approval by Fitzroy River Water.

For a quote on private works complete the Water and Sewerage Services Private Works Application Form(PDF, 260KB) .

Metering of fire lines

A fire line is a designated water service specifically and solely used for fire fighting purposes. The designated fire service could be a stand-alone service or may be a designated part of a split service.

Fitzroy River Water meters all fire lines through a combination of retrofitting existing fire lines with appropriate meters and through the mandatory fitting of meters to all new fire line supplies. The metering of fire lines must comply with the Queensland Water Supply (Safety and Reliability) Act 2008.

The Metering of Fire Lines Policy(PDF, 213KB) is to meter all fire lines in order to identify and eliminate avoidable system leakage and non-fire related water consumption through those services.

The policy applies to all properties in the Rockhampton Regional Council area requiring water connections for fire fighting purposes.

Metered standpipe hire

Fitzroy River Water provides metered standpipes for both short term and long term hire. Metered standpipes are used to obtain water directly from hydrants for approved activities such as construction, concrete sawing, dust suppression and water carting.

To hire a metered standpipe you must complete and submit the following to Rockhampton Regional Council:

You will be notified if / when a metered standpipe is available. These can be collected and returned to the Fitzroy River Water Administration Centre on Belmont Road, Parkhurst.

A bond will be required to be paid prior to picking up the standpipe, this will be refunded on the satisfactory return of the standpipe and full payment of any outstanding account balances.

If the metered standpipe develops a leak, has any mechanical damage or fails to operate, you should contact us.

Public standpipe - Gracemere

There is a public standpipe located at Gracemere to obtain water for activities such as construction and water carting, including filling of water pods.

To use water from the public standpipe you need to obtain a water card by completing and submitting the below form to Rockhampton Regional Council. 

Please note the Water Card can ONLY be collected and recharged at Council’s Gracemere Office.

For a full list of fees and charges please refer to Council’s Fees and Charges Schedule or contact Council on 1300 22 55 77 or (07) 4932 9000.

Building Over/Adjacent to Sewerage Infrastructure

Property owners and developers that want to modify structures or build new structures adjacent to or over Fitzroy River Water’s infrastructure must gain approval from Fitzroy River Water.

The Building Over/Adjacent to Sewerage Infrastructure Policy provides direction on what is required when seeking to gain consent to construct or erect a building or structure over or adjacent to any sewerage infrastructure. Developments will only proceed if they do not obstruct our ability to meet service and maintenance obligations.

The property owner may be required to undertake a risk assessment and investigate alternative locations for the structure before we will assess an application to build over or adjacent to our sewerage infrastructure. Upon receipt of the application, we will discuss the requirements with the applicant to confirm all alternative options have been explored.

Proposals to build or modify structures adjacent to or over existing sewerage infrastructure which is located on our standard alignment (±1.0m) adjacent to the property boundaries will not be approved except in exceptional circumstances. Such approval will be at the discretion of the General Manager or delegate.

Proposals to build or modify structures adjacent to or over existing sewerage infrastructure which is not located on our standard alignment (±1.0m) adjacent to the property boundaries will be considered in line with assessment criteria included in the Technical Guidelines(PDF, 323KB).