In relation to the car-washing bugbear, manager environmental solutions Cameron Burton told councillors everyone needs to make "behavioural shifts" but where there was "recidivism" and the council was still getting multiple complaints it would ultimately have to step-up action.
History allowed the practices to develop around New Zealand, he said, and people and businesses would need to consider how they could change.
Discharges through the stormwater system became a bugbear among a range of water issues for the council in the last term, and the bylaw aims to attack pollution issues at source. It was highlighted by contamination of Pandora Pond, with the council now working to restore the waterway to an always-safe environment.
The bylaw regulates discharges into the stormwater system and controls on anything that may stop the stormwater system functioning at its full purpose.
Action can be taken against anyone who causes any damage to the public stormwater network, or allows any material, chemical (including chlorine and detergents), rubbish, litter, or other substance that causes or is likely to cause a nuisance, directly into the public stormwater network;
It includes such chemicals as may be in the runoff from the washing of cars, which the council recommends be done on surfaces where the stormwater system will not be compromised.