Steps 1–5: Site constraints

One of the first steps a designer, architect or builder should take before putting pencil to paper is to establish what constraints affect the property.

Easements are a valuable clue to discovering if and where utility services might be located on your block. However, it is important to know that not all water or sewerage mains are contained in registered easements. Easements were not created when the utilities were installed in Canberra's earliest suburbs.

Some blocks do not have water, sewerage, stormwater, electricity, or telecommunication easements but do contain one or more of these utilities.

Special planning and utility rules apply to the building of structures over or near easements and over or near utility network services (with or without an easement).

For more information on land title and covenant information:

Department of Justice and Community Safety - Office of Regulatory Services
Land Titles Office
"Allara House" B1
Cnr Allara Street and Constitution Avenue
Civic (Canberra) ACT 2600
Phone: 6207 0491

For more information on easements as shown on a 'Deposited Plan':

ACT Planning and Land Authority (ACTPLA)
Survey Office
16 Challis Street
Dickson ACT 2602
Phone: 6207 1923

The second step a designer, architect or builder should take before commencing a design is to get advice from your electricity, water, sewerage, recycled water, stormwater, gas and telecommunication utilities.

Diagrammatic plans of all these networks can be obtained by calling Dial Before You Dig on 1100.

Dial Before You Dig will notify all utilities (including ActewAGL) of your request and arrange to send the information through the post, by fax or in electronic format to your email address.

Dial Before You Dig is a basic document service. You will need to contact specific utilities if you require:

• 'works-as-executed' drawings
• historic records
• connection and network attribute data, for example; diameter, depth, length, gradient, voltage, capacity, flow rate or pressure
• utility access and protection rules.

For more information regarding ActewAGL's utility requirements for building over or near water and sewerage mains, you can drop into ActewAGL at 12 Hoskins Street, Mitchell, between 9.00am to 4.45pm, Monday to Friday — for water and sewerage enquiries only.

Using the drawings obtained in Step 2, it is important to determine the presence and verify (on site) the precise location, depth and nature of water and sewerage service connection(s) and network mains (and all other utilities on or near your property).

This includes:

• all utility network mains and equipment located within the property boundaries
• all utility network mains and equipment located external and in close proximity to the property boundaries that may be impacted by your proposed development
• the location of surface level stormwater, electricity, water and sewerage network equipment (valves, meter box, pits, manholes, cable routes, poles, etc.) with dimensions from property boundaries
• the route of water and sewerage network mains with dimensions from property boundaries (or from proposed building works)
• the depth of water and sewerage network mains measured from natural (undisturbed) ground level where structural loads may be transmitted to water and sewerage network mains.

Note

A visual inspection or the use of pipe detection technologies may help to approximate the route of water or sewerage network pipes.

However the precise location and depth of sewer pipes must be verified by physical measurement and water pipes by physical exposure (pot-holing).

Access to sewer manholes or pot-holing of water mains must be carried out under the direction or supervision of ActewAGL.

Warning: Failure of an application to show or accurately locate water or sewerage network equipment may result in damage and costs for which the property owner will be liable.

Pot-holing water network mains

Persons wishing to verify the location of water network connections or mains must make an application to ActewAGL.

ActewAGL will specify the controls and conditions that must be followed when carrying out pot-holing operations.

The responsibility for pot-holing is determined by pipe size as follows.

The persons commissioning pot-holing operations are responsible for paying for the backfilling, reinstatement of surfaces and repair of damage to water or sewerage networks resulting from those activities.

Should you find any discrepancies between ActewAGL drawings and any water or sewerage assets on the property, or should you encounter other problems regarding such assets on site, please contact us. We will help you find an answer to your questions.

For all other utilities (stormwater, telecommunications, etc), please contact them separately.

Continue to Step 6: Design compliance