100% council approval rate 4.9 on Google (160+)
Stormwater

Stormwater and hydraulic design that gets approved first time.

Bad drainage is the number one reason councils knock back residential plans. We design stormwater systems that meet your council's specific requirements — for new builds, granny flats, duplexes and major renovations.

Fixed-fee quote within 3 business days. Designed by in-house hydraulic engineers.

Stormwater & Hydraulic Design
  • 100% council approval rate
  • 10+ years in Sydney
  • Design + engineering + approval, in-house
  • Fixed-fee quotes

Council-compliant drainage that won't get your project red-flagged.

Fit check

Who this is for

Whether you're a homeowner, builder or developer, the stormwater design either passes council or it doesn't. We design to your specific council's policy from day one — so the rest of your project doesn't get held up waiting on drainage redraws.

  • In-house hydraulic engineers — no external sub-consultant lag
  • Council-specific OSD calculations, not a generic template
  • Pit and pipe layouts coordinated with the architectural and structural drawings
  • BASIX water systems and rainwater integration sorted in the same scope
"I'd been burned by a previous architect on a duplex DA that got knocked back twice. Nemco redrew it, talked us through what council actually wanted, and got it through first try. Fixed fee, no surprises."
Rauf IqbalPunchbowl · Duplex
Section 01

Why stormwater is the silent project killer

Most rejected DAs aren't rejected because of the building. They're rejected because the stormwater design doesn't meet council's drainage policy — and every council writes their own policy. Fix this at the design stage and your approval is dramatically faster.

Section 02

What we design

A full hydraulic scope handled in-house, coordinated with the architectural and structural drawings from day one.

Section 03

Common stormwater requirements by Sydney council

OSD thresholds, rainfall intensities and discharge points vary across Canterbury-Bankstown, Inner West, Sutherland Shire, Parramatta, Liverpool, Fairfield and the rest of Sydney metro. We design to the actual council policy — not a generic template — and we keep an internal reference for every council we regularly work in.

What's included

What we design

  • On-site stormwater detention (OSD) systems
  • Rainwater tank sizing and integration
  • Pit and pipe layouts
  • Inter-allotment drainage
  • Roof and surface water drainage
  • Charged stormwater systems
  • BASIX-compliant water systems
FAQs

Questions about this service.

Do I need OSD for a granny flat?

It depends on your council and your existing site coverage. Some councils trigger OSD on any new impervious area; others only above a threshold. We check your council's policy at the site visit and only design OSD if it is genuinely required.

What if I'm in a flood zone?

Flood-prone land has stricter drainage and floor level requirements, and your DA will need a flood-compatible stormwater design. We have hydraulic engineers in-house who design to council's flood study and habitable floor level requirements — so the drainage and the building both line up.

Can you connect to council stormwater?

Where a legal point of discharge exists, yes. Where it does not — for example, a battle-axe lot with no kerb access — we design charged systems, soakage pits, or inter-allotment drainage easements depending on the site. We confirm the legal point of discharge as part of the site survey.

Do you certify your own designs?

We design and certify hydraulic systems in-house under our engineering practice. For private certification of the building works, we work with established Sydney certifiers — there is a deliberate separation between designer and certifier, but we handle the liaison so you do not have to.

Get a stormwater design quote.

Send us the site, the council, and what's planned. We'll come back with a fixed-fee quote within 3 business days.

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