March 6, 2020
South Burnett Regional Council is asking local residents to sweep their streets after mowing to stop grass clippings clogging up Council drains.
Council issued a statement on Thursday “to provide information to residents about obligations around stormwater pollution”.
“Stormwater infrastructure, such as gutters and drains, takes water from our streets into waterways,” the statement said.
“When it rains, contaminants can be carried by stormwater from our streets into waterways where plants and animals may live and/or access. Stopping contaminants entering gutters and drains can help keep waterways clean and healthy, ensuring a better environment for all to enjoy.
“Whilst mowing grass it is a risk that grass clippings may intentionally or otherwise end up on an adjacent road and potentially be deposited into stormwater infrastructure.
“Green wastes, such as grass and garden clippings, are of particular concern in our waterways as they are high in nitrogen and other nutrients.
“These contaminants may lead to new infestations of environmental weeds along river banks and possibly stimulate algal blooms.
“As such, residents are encouraged to stop green wastes from entering stormwater infrastructure.”
Council suggested grass clippings be:
- Returned to the lawn – mulching or leaving grass clippings on the lawn so they are recycled;
- Used as garden mulch; or
- Used in composting.
“Should grass clippings be deposited on to the road while mowing, they should be swept up and collected and either dealt with via the above or disposed of appropriately at a Council waste facility,” the Council statement said.
“Grass clippings, if left in roadside gutters, can with rain be carried downstream and clog stormwater drainage grates causing localised flooding of roads and adjacent properties.
“It is essential for the correct and efficient operation of Council’s stormwater infrastructure that roadside gutters are kept clean and free from green waste.”
Letting your lawn clippings go out onto the road is one of my pet hates. Pick up after yourself! It’s not hard. I never let the grass go on the road and hate when the neighbours do. My dad taught me to mow when I was 10 and instilled in me the fundamentals of always picking up your clippings, edging your paths and sweeping your paths. Poor old thing would roll over in his grave if he saw how people do it these days….
Thank you SBRC for raising this community issue: mowing lawn clippings on to the roadway is such a disappointing and untidy behaviour in our South Burnett communities. Especially for the majority of residents who are proud of the tidy appearance of our towns.
Not only does it cause issues with storm water, it is a hazard to cyclists and motorcyclists by making the road surface extremely slippery and causing accidents.
It is an unacceptable behaviour by the residents, but an even worse example is when some mowing contractors regularly mow and blow lawn clippings on to the roadways.
What a joke. Council are one of the worst offenders in regard to this. Start having a go at them instead of blaming private contractors.
Anyone remember the “good old days” when there was a streetsweeper in Kingaroy? I don’t mean a man with a broom. It was a truck which swept up rubbish and grass to stop it going into the drains.
Council has singled out one cause of blocked drains. Fair comment.
However during the last 2 years there has been no appetite from council to get its own house in order.
The gutters in the CBD are disgracefully maintained and the street sweeper does not regularly clean. From memory,the last time Moore Street was cleaned was I think 8th October.
How may times has council been approached to clean the main stormwater drain in Memorial Park? Can council truthfully say they do not leave grass clippings on any roadways?
I have approached the Mayor, Cr Potter and the CEO about the presentation of our town so I think their comments can be sorted as “people in glass houses should not throw stones”.
I don’t know if this will be read by anyone except perhaps the editor, but I have a problem regarding a pipe that is under the entrance to my property. It’s a 30 to 40cm pipe that permits water to pass under the driveway. It was probably installed when the block was initially developed. It’s half clogged with dirt and debris that has been washed downhill. Although I have attempted to clean it out I have failed.
Is it the council’s responsibility to maintain such pipes? Also, the channel leading to the pipe is in poor condition, a bit like a wash-away. This makes it very difficult and dangerous to mow with a ride-on mower. When I get the slasher guy in, he is unable to do a proper job along the channel. I sometimes use a brush-cutter along it but due to my age and a back problem it’s a painful task to perform. The uneven terrain has caused me to fall on several occasions. Again, is council responsible for maintaining roadside drainage channels or is it up to the landowners to hire an earthmoving contractor to repair the channel and clear the pipe?
I imagine it would cost around $1000 or more to have the work done. This is a semi-rural property with a frontage of around 50 metres. There are many such properties throughout the South Burnett and I’m guessing many owners have a similar problem.
The council does mow/slash the roadside edge (sometimes breaching the noise pollution regulations by doing the work as early a 6am – should be no earlier than 7am I think the rules state), but over the past 20 or so years I’ve lived here they have never done any roadside channel repair work.
Freda, it would be best if you contacted your local councillor to discuss the issues you have with the drainage channel. If you are in the South Burnett, their details can be found on our Council page: https://www.southburnett.com.au/sbrc/