A busy year and a huge thank you

As we warm the trucks and gear up for the final time in 2022 there is not a face without a smile on it. Our staff can leave the yard today feeling proud of what they have achieved this year. We have dealt with the challenges 2022 has thrown in front of us with grace and positivity. Our company is always looking for new ways we can do things. This makes our company different.

While I know there are numerous contributing factors to our staff feeling happy, I would like to think the introduction of our Happiness Centred Business Principles back in 2017 gave our crew the guidance on how to create this atmosphere.

In the spirit of embracing the New Year we have also chosen our word of 2023:

Matatika

The meaning of this word relates to straight, ethical, and honest. Place your hand on your heart and do what you say you are going to do. These words permeate the business and become part of the company. It is what we strive for. We understand that for any business to succeed it has to hold on to truth throughout its existence. We do it. This encompasses so much of what we here at Dutton Stormwater feel is vital to every action within our business as well as every individual who plays a part in it.

Our Celebration of 2022

The year culminated in an outstanding celebration in town amid a wave of “sunshine yellow”. As our company keeps growing one of my concerns is that the WIFLE at the end of the year will become too long-winded but everyone had a chance to hold the stick my father carved for me in 1972 in the Kruger National Park, and everyone received a well-earned bonus.  It was a magnificent night.

  

  

Nada, Nat, Lucie and Amy, our man Marlon, now reunited with his beautiful family in the Philippines after four long years enjoying the Margaritas on the night, Simon, Orlando, Leon, Mahdi, Edwin, Mike, Claire, Michelle, Sonny, “Molly’s Ladies”, Evie, Monica, and Alexis!

Congratulations to our Award Winners, Leon and Cat.

  • Left: Leon Carr – Directors Choice, Employee of the Year.
  • Right: Cat Woollams – People’s Choice, Employee of the Year.

A Restructure for 2023

We start 2023 with a restructure I am excited about. Congratulations Amy, Claire and William, and thank you for your efforts.

  • Amy Pervan will be our Finance Manager from 2023.
  • Claire Story joins the Senior Management team as Business Systems Manager.
  • William Clark joins our office team to assist in planning and logistics.

Thank you for supporting our business.

We aiming to continue adding value to your experience.

I would like to thank my staff for the hard work they have put in this year. I am proud to work with you.

We are coming to Christchurch in April 2023 and we can’t wait to help the people in the South Island with their stormwater maintenance. Here is our 3A – 10000l truck being built now.

Have a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.

Ed & the Team at Dutton Stormwater.

New additions to Dutton Stormwater team & fleet

Servicing petrol station forecourt interceptors is specialized work. The staff must be trained and have the relevant certifications and the equipment must be certified. Due to our customer base requesting us to carry out this work we are proud to announce the arrival of our new A3 vacuum truck.

We call him JAMES.

We work closely with SPEL (Pump and Valve) in understanding and servicing their devices nation-wide. This addition to our fleet has increased our capacity to carry out more work for the major fuel companies as we expand our capabilities. The addition of James has meant we need someone to drive this truck or one of the other trucks.

We are lucky enough to have a man named Ali Mehr who has stepped up from Stormwater Technician to vacuum truck operator. Ali has his DG and Class 2 License and will work his way up to being able to drive our A3 truck in the next six months.

The growing team

We as a company are extremely proud of how we have dealt with this Global Crisis. Our staff are have come through this unscathed. Unlike many other businesses we have employed five new staff members:

Cat
Cat has experience in our industry. This is a bonus as we have employed Cat because she is so capable, kind and straight up with people. Welcome.

TJ
TJ was a casualty of the Warehouse closure in Birkenhead a few months ago. I got talking to him and a few of his mates outside the warehouse. He came in for an interview and tried out for a few days. His enthusiasm and character shone through. Not to mention, TJ is an extremely strong young man who loves servicing sand filters.

Seb
Seb has been with us for a few months now as is a smart, fit, well spoken individual who will go far in our business. He works extremely hard and I have watched him gain the respect of our crew through his actions.

Sue
Sue has joined us out of the blue – like most of our new staff – and she is here to relieve the burden on Claire in the accounts department. Sue has helped immensely and has such a helpful, calm energy about her.

Andrea
Andrea completes the Sales Dream Team with Conrad. Andrea is a switched on, organized and detail oriented individual. These two are unstoppable and I am grateful to have Andrea working for me.

 

Dutton Stormwater awarded Auckland Council’s Healthy Waters Treatment Device maintenance contract

It is with great pride that I write this announcement.

We have been awarded the contract from Healthy Waters to maintain the treatment devices for the Auckland Region for the next five years.

This is a culmination of years of working for contractors for Council and immersing ourselves in the stormwater treatment device space. We have stayed true to this course. We do not have departments for Procurement, so to the team that worked on producing this tender – I am so proud of you and I thank you for the many hours of work you did to put together the winning document.

To the team who will now deliver this contract, I believe in you and I appreciate everything you do for me and our business.

In this same month we have become a partner to Sustainable Coastlines. We have been patient and discerning in our quest to partner with a worthy organisation. We are proud of this step which will grow into a powerful and helpful partnership for all.

When in drought – plan for rain!

With a hot Auckland this summer, the city has broken its water consumption record twice since the start of February. Aucklanders are being urged to cut their shower times and areas in Northland have outdoor water bans in place. On Saturday, it was 40 consecutive days since the region had rainfall, which means the Auckland region broke a record for the longest dry spell, according to NIWA forecasters.

So, what has this got to do with storm water maintenance?

During dry spells, stormwater systems can be far from top of mind, and yet stormwater filters are faithfully collecting litter, and lead particles are creating a layer on city roads from exhausts and lead, copper and zinc particles are gathering in our atmosphere and layering roofs and roads through dry deposition.

Many activities in urban areas emit metal contaminated particles into the atmosphere. The first rainfall will wash lead and other pollutants from roads and carparks into the city’s stormwater system. Rain will wash** suspended pollutants from the atmosphere to join those already flowing toward the sea.

The first big rainfall of autumn is critical to manage well

A large rainfall after a dry summer means that pollutant levels in storm water systems will be higher than normal – and the ‘first flush’ of the water moving through the storm water filters will have the most! It is thought that 40 – 50% of contaminants can be mobilized in the first 20% of the increased flow after a storm or heavy rainfall in an urban area.***

This is why it is crucial that storm water filters are well maintained during summer and ready to work hard… rather than being jammed with litter and in need of maintenance.

The removal of contaminants before they can enter a watercourse is an ideal intervention, protecting both freshwater environments and the marine eco-system. For example, Auckland Transport removes over 6,400 tonnes of sediment from its roads per year!****

Auckland’s industry and population have a high impact on freshwater quality

Tom Porter from the Auckland Council explains that although the Auckland region covers less than 2% of New Zealand, it contains over a third of the population, and is growing fast. This places severe pressures on freshwater quality in the Auckland area, especially regarding to sediment, metals and other contaminants. (MFE, 2017b).

Auckland is also adjacent to the ocean on both sides!

We believe this means that we have an additional duty to manage our stormwater systems exceptionally well! 

We’d love to help you ensure that your stormwater filters are ready and primed for our city’s first big rainfall, and the winter that will follow!

Contact us for a free quote today – 09 974 9888

 

* Dry deposition is the process where atmospheric particles, and any contaminants associated with them, settle via gravity or are deposited by wind onto the surfaces of roofs, buildings or the ground.

** Wet deposition is how atmospheric particles and soluble trace gases are removed from the atmosphere by dissolution and incorporated into water droplets, either in clouds or falling raindrops.

*** Park et al. 2010.

**** Auckland Transport unpublished briefing, 2018.

The Director’s Desk – September

It appears the media is intent on spreading fear and pessimism throughout the business sector. Dutton Stormwater does not subscribe to opinions of the media. Our perception of business in New Zealand and what we are doing remains positive and strong. We defy the odds and have done since our inception. We as a company are not affected by media or other perceptions. We are focusing on our tasks. This is illustrated by the graph below which shows how our percentage of jobs completed being very close to 100% since April.

New additions to the team of fleet

August was a big month from a Human Resource perspective. We continue to embrace our value of diversity. This month we have taken on Conrad Donkin as our sales rep. Conrad has a vast amount of experience in the construction industry both in New Zealand and abroad. He brings a fantastic energy to our team.

Said has also turned up from the Netherlands. Said is slim and fit and joins the crew as a stormwater technician. Said is a man of few words, but his smile is infectious.

LittaTrap™ Success Story

In July we installed two LittaTrap™s on a site in Onehunga. I drove past a few days ago and asked the owner if I could have a look at them. We went over to the pits and pulled the bags out. They had caught a large amount of debris, silt and litter. We emptied them out into a skip on his site and organised a maintenance regime with him going forward. We were both so impressed with the efficiency of this application. The owner took some photos and was determined to show the other members of his board.

Challenge for the city – And a Free Offer

If you want to be proactive in protecting the ocean, call us to come and quote you for installing LittaTrap™s on your site. If you get LittaTrap™s installed in all your cess pits, we will supply and install the first one free!

 

The Directors’ Desk – August

There are few things more satisfying for me than to see crystal clear water emerging from the outlet of a filtration device we maintain. Over the month of July our crew completed 100% of our planned maintenance jobs. This is a massive feat from everyone. The planning, servicing and invoicing was all completed before the end of the month – a standard we pride ourselves on. I would like to congratulate the team on their effort through the month of July.

Over the month of July, the Dutton Stormwater staff accumulated 13 compliments from customers, ranging from our office staff being “so on the ball” to our operations crew being “so polite and passionate about their work.” Thank you.

Welcome back Claire

During the month of July the phenomenal Claire Storey returned to us. Claire has been on maternity leave and has slotted back into work like she never left. Like any mother, she manages life and business with grace and poise.

Team challenges & team building

12 out of 14 of our staff members completed “dry-July”. Perhaps it was harder for some? Great effort team.

We had a fun morning of Spanbou at the Panic Rooms. Far too complicated for me to find my way out, but we all enjoyed ourselves.

Major project – Sand Filter

A major project in July was the refurbishment of a neglected sand filter in Onehunga. Our team of six removed over 48 tonnes of contaminated silt and disposed of it at an authorized waste facility. This was a monumental effort that spanned over three days. On behalf of all the families of fish in the ocean I want to thank the crew for doing this work.

Stormwater highlights

The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System/State Disposal System (NPDES/SDS) MS4 permit is designed to protect US rivers, lakes and streams from polluted stormwater runoff. SEH MS4 specialist April Ryan, water engineer, shared 25 key facts about stormwater, stormwater pollution, permitting and MS4.

Note Fact 25: Everyone can help battle stormwater pollution. “There a dozens of ways all of us can help reduce stormwater pollution. Don’t over-water your lawn. Wash your car in the grass, not in the driveway. Use fertilizers sparingly. There are many others.”

Challenge for the city – Clean UpFlo Filters

Please remember that we are running a special on up-flo filter commissioning. If you sign a contract with us to maintain your site with an up-flo filter on it, we will commission your up-flo filter for free.

Want to know more about UpFlo Filters? Here are two videos that you may like to watch:

Click here to see how the Up-Flo® Filter Stormwater Treatment System removes fine sediments and other pollutants from stormwater runoff, and how simple media bag replacement is compared to other stormwater treatment filters.

Click here to see the Hynds UpFlo Filter specs. Designed to meet current stormwater regulations, and remove 90% total suspended solids (TSS) with a mean particle size of 20 microns, the Up-Flo® Filter combines a patented upwards flow path with a unique drain-down system to achieve proven removal efficiency of fine sediment, nutrients, metals, oils, organics, and organic trapped bacteria. With a low head requirement to drive flows through media, the Up-Flo® Filter is recognised by councils for achieving greater than 75% TSS removal. Impressive.

Mayor calls for Stormwater System overhaul

We cleaned a CDS unit in East Tamaki and we were honored enough to have the Right Honorable Mayor Phil Geoff come and see what we were doing. It was also on TV1 which gave many of our crew their first TV debut.

Katie Bradford reported for TV1 News:

“The Auckland stormwater treatment system collects roughly 5000 tonnes of plastic waste each year, but plenty of other plastic makes its way straight into the coasts surrounding the city. To help combat that, the council wants to upgrade every major storm pipe in Auckland.

“It’s going to cost millions of dollars because we are going to have to retrofit the system so that every storm water pipe filters out the sort of storm water rubbish we have seen today,” Mr Goff said.”

Challenge to the city

Our challenge to you this month is to pick up a piece of rubbish every day, even if it is not yours!

From the Director’s Desk – July

Each morning when the crew stand in the shed waiting for the WIFLE to start, I drive in wondering how the mood of the crew will be? It is cold, dark and often wet and I am about to ask them to head off into the darkness to service stormwater devices all over Auckland.

I am always astounded at their positivity and enthusiasm. This is a team anyone would be proud to be a part of. I am proud to be the leader of this group and I am grateful for what they do for our business.

Changes to the Dutton Stormwater team

In June we said goodbye to Jezza – Jerry Neho. He is off to Australia to make a new start and we wish him well. This has left the Operations team a little light on manpower for servicing stormwater filters. The boys have stepped up, and for the month of June we completed 97% of our planned jobs. This is a stellar effort considering we had a major Litta-trap project for one of our largest customers – Foodstuffs – to finish before World Ocean’s Day on the 8th of June.

We are in the process of recruiting two more staff members who will join in August as Stormwater Technicians.

Let’s not forget the trucks – our man Leon gave two of our trucks a full birthday and painted them our pristine Ice White. Small Boy and Big Boy are repainted and ready to start playing their part in cleaning up Auckland’s oceans.

LittaTrap™ Foodstuffs project major focus in June

Our major focus for June was to complete the roll-out of the installation of LittaTrap™ stormwater filters into 11 designated Foodstuffs sites around the north island. We geared ourselves up, got ourselves trained by Stormwater 360 and hit the road. This was a major team effort.

  • Our sales team had to plot and measure the dimensions of each cess pit we were installing a litter trap into.
  • Our logistics team had to order the correct number of Litta-traps for each crew.
  • The Logistics Crew then arranged the journeys in the most efficient manner possible and booked all the accommodation.
  • The operations team got themselves geared up with cordless dynadrills, hammer drills and Stanley knives and hit the road going north, south and east.

We finished the project well before the deadline and on the 8th of June one of the LittaTrap™ we installed in Wellington New World was on TV with the environment minister and other Foodstuffs representatives. It was a most enjoyable project and we look forward to rolling it out to the rest of the stores in the north island.