Pressure cleaning a Berkeley Vale driveway: allowed for a reason, at under 9 litres a minute
By Artigellence ·
Central Coast Council's water-wise rules do not let you hose down a driveway, but they do allow a pressure clean for listed reasons such as mould, moss, oil stains or preparing to reseal. The machine has to be a high-pressure, low-volume cleaner with a trigger nozzle, using less than 9 litres of water a minute. In Berkeley Vale the rules apply as they do across Council's water supply, and the wash water still has to be kept out of the drain.
Call (02) 4326 8203
What the rules allow on a driveway
The water-wise rules start from a plain ban: no hosing of hard surfaces such as driveways. They then allow driveways and other paved areas to be cleaned with a high-pressure cleaner in limited circumstances, and they define the machine as a high-pressure, low-volume cleaner, fitted with a trigger nozzle, with a flow rate of less than 9 litres a minute. It is fair to ask a provider what flow their machine runs at.
Council groups the circumstances under three headings. Its safety examples name the common reasons for a driveway clean: a build-up of mould or moss, or oil stains. Rust and graffiti are on the same list. Under construction it lists preparing a surface for painting or resealing, cleaning before a property is sold or leased, and rinsing after building work once the area has first been cleaned with a shovel and broom. A clean booked because the slab has gone green or carries oil marks fits the rules as written; a routine rinse of a clean driveway does not appear among them.
Whose water the rules cover
The rules bind anyone using water from Council's supply, and they reach rainwater from a tank that is connected to the house's internal plumbing or topped up from the town supply. Bore water and water taken from rivers are excluded. They always apply unless water restrictions are in place.
Walls and roofs get more room than paving. Council allows the walls and roof of a house, gutters included, to be washed at any time of day with a trigger-nozzle hose or a high-pressure, low-volume cleaner, so a house wash booked with a driveway clean is not held to the list of reasons.
When restrictions replace the rules
Council ties its restriction levels to the dams: Level 1 at dam levels of 50%, Level 2 at 40% and Level 3 at 35%. Restrictions cover town water used outdoors, including urban tanks connected to or topped up by it, and do not restrict bore or recycled water.
Under Level 1, Council's table lists washing external building surfaces with a trigger nozzle or pressure cleaner as allowed, and for driveways and other paved areas it lists spot cleaning for safety, health or emergency reasons with a trigger-nozzle hose. Using a hose for general cleaning of those surfaces is on its list of what cannot be done. If restrictions are declared, read that table before booking a driveway clean, because it replaces the rules above.
Where a Berkeley Vale driveway drains
The water-wise rules are about how much water is used. Where it ends up is a separate matter. Berkeley Vale is in the Tuggerah Lake catchment, and Council's coastal management work records that its shoreline shows long-term signs of nearshore eutrophication and organic sediment enrichment. Nutrients are the concern, and the EPA's advice on cleaning products is to use a low-phosphorus detergent, sparingly.
So before a driveway clean in Berkeley Vale, ask the provider what they will put on the slab and how the runoff will be caught before it reaches the kerb.
Artigellence is the marketing business that operates this site and writes its articles. It does not carry out the work described.
Thanks — we have your enquiry. Someone will be in touch shortly. Prefer to talk now? Call (02) 4326 8203.
Last reviewed · Updated · First published