You got a gutter on the lot? Officials may impose a fine of PLN 10,000. Checks across Poland

Misleading rainwater from the property can cost homeowners even PLN 10,000. In the face of always more frequent and violent rains, institutions throughout Poland are tightening surveillance and starting mass inspections. Many Poles do not realise that directing the gutter to the street or to the sanitation is illegal and endanger with severe financial consequences. The changing climate makes regulations that have existed for years now enforced with full severity. It is no longer a dead law – it is simply a real threat to the home budget of all property owner, from single-family homes to recreational plots. Controllers equipped with specialized equipment can appear at any time, and the tallness of the mandate can knock off their feet.

Why so harsh? A changing climate and a forgotten law

The legal basis that spends sleep with the eyes of property owners is Ordinance of the Minister of Infrastructure of 12 April 2002. Although these rules have been in force for more than 2 decades, it is only now that real power has gained in the context of climate change. Poland is struggling with a fresh weather reality – long periods of drought are intertwined with violent, dense rains. Existing sewer systems, designed years ago, are incapable to absorb this large amount of water in a short time. This results in local flooding, flooding of streets, cellars and property.

This is why the work for waste water management has been mostly transferred to land owners. Officials and water and sewage companies considered that the only way to master chaos was Strict enforcement at source. Controls have become more frequent and more insightful, with the aim of eliminating illegal practices that contribute to paralyzing urban infrastructure during the rain. Ignorance is no longer an excuse.

What are the controllers looking for? Most common homeowner errors

During checks, officials pay attention to respective key irregularities that are commonly committed by property owners. Detection of any of them is the basis for imposing a advanced fine. The most common illegal practices are:

• Draining rainwater on a neighbour's game or on the street: This is 1 of the most serious and most common offences. It is strictly prohibited to direct gutters in specified a way that water floods adjacent property, road or pavement. This leads not only to neighbouring conflicts, but besides to demolition of infrastructure and threat.
• Connecting gutters to sanitation: This is simply a practice that straight threatens the functioning of a sewage treatment plant. The sewage is intended exclusively for the disposal of home waste water. The introduction of immense amounts of rainwater causes it to overload, which may consequence in the discharge of untreated sewage into rivers and lakes. Water supply companies usage peculiar cameras and smokers to detect specified illegal connections.
• No water management system: The owner of the property is obliged to manage rainwater in its territory if it is not possible to connect to a dedicated rain net. Leaving the situation alone and allowing uncontrollable water flow is treated as negligence.

Fine isn't everything. What another consequences are there?

Maximum punishment PLN 10,000 is the most frequently cited consequence, but not the only one. Even if the fine is lower, for example at the level of PLN 2-3 thousand, it inactive represents a serious burden on the household budget. However, this is not the end of possible problems. In utmost and persistent cases of violation, the case may go to court, which has the right to regulation even penalties for restrictions on freedom. specified judgments have already been passed, which shows that the State takes this problem highly seriously.

Additional risks are civil processes. A neighbour whose property is regularly flooded by water from our game has the right to sue for damages for losses – damaged crops, damaged fences or damp foundations of the building. The costs of specified a process and possible compensation may exceed the amount of the administrative fine itself.

How to legally and cheaply manage rainwater? applicable solutions

Compliance with the rules does not gotta mean immense expenses. There are respective legal and proven methods for the management of rainwater on its own plot. By law, the precedence is to connect to rain or drainageif specified a network exists nearby. If not, the owner must take care of retention in his own territory.

The most popular solutions are:

• Retention tanks: They can be ground or underground. They collect water, which can later be utilized for watering the garden. This is not only legal, but besides ecological and economical solution to save water from the grid.
• Lymphary wells: These are underground structures, which let for gradual flooding of the accumulated rainwater into the ground. However, their construction requires checking of groundwater conditions.
• Drainage systems and rain gardens: They let water to spread on the larger surface of the plot, making it easier to infiltration naturally. Rain gardens are an aesthetic and very effective solution that is becoming increasingly popular.

The investment in 1 of these schemes is incomparably lower than the hazard of payment of penalties and possible compensation. A simple ground tank is frequently a cost of respective 100 zlotys – an amount that rapidly returns in the form of lower water bills.