What is a cess pit?

Cess pits are the unsung heroes of the stormwater world! Everything flows to the cess pits. Cess pits are primarily used for onsite containment, collection and treatment. A cess pit or catch pit is a stormwater treatment device comprised of three key elements – a grate, a small sediment trap, and a siphon on the outlet.

We’ve gathered some information on how cess pits work for you to help illustrate why great cess pit maintenance is essential for effective performance and protection of our waterways.

How does a cess pit work?

1. 1. A cess pit collects rainwater through the grate.
   2. The solid material the water has picked up on the way to the pit will fall out of suspension and settle down to collect on the bottom of the trap.
   3. The clean water will drain through the siphon and out into the stormwater network.

Who owns a cess pit and whose responsibility is it to maintain it?

1. 1. Cess pits on the road usually belong to the council. They will have a contractor who will be responsible for maintaining them, which may be us.
   2. Cess pits on a private car park or building will belong to the land owner and they will be responsible for making sure the cess pit is maintained by a stormwater maintenance company.

Why should I ensure regular cess pit maintenance?

There are two really great reasons to ensure cess pit maintenance is regular and professionally done.

1. 1. To avoid the risk of blockages and flooding. Noone wants storm water backing up and spilling over because of a blocked cess pit.
   2. To ensure sediment doesn’t build up until it is high enough to get stirred up by stormwater flow and transferred out of the pit back into the stormwater network… and eventually into our ocean.

When should I get a company to maintain my cess pits?

1. 1. Cess pits need to be serviced annually at a minimum to ensure they are clean enough to function effectively and to prevent overflow.
   2. We pride ourselves on working with property owners to ensure they have the optimum frequency of maintenance for the servicing – for the environment; and for the customer’s budget.

What should I do if I think my cess pits need maintenance, or I don’t know when they were last serviced?

It’s really simple – just call us to come and have a look at them and we will give you a free, no-obligation quote.

Please do not try to do this yourself. There are thousands of bacteria living on the lids and inside them, which can pose a serious health risk to anyone apart from trained stormwater maintenance professionals. Also, the lids are designed to be extremely heavy and one needs to know how to lift the lid, and have the correct equipment.

How can I do more?

To improve on the performance of a well maintained cess pit, and avoid unforseeable issues caused by rubbish, we can install a LittaTrap inside your cess pits. As the name suggests, a LittaTrap works to keep all litter out of the pit and out of the stormwater network, helping ensure that your stormwater system remains high functioning and clear, releasing only clean water to our local harbours.

How is a Cess Pit cleaned?

Our team use a Vacuum truck (or our low height vacuum trailer if required) to suck all the sludge and sediment out of the cess pit, along with all the particles and pollutants in the sediment – leaving only clean water in the cess pit.

Cess Pit before maintenance