StormFilter™ is the first manufactured stormwater filter to gain regulatory approval on a global scale and has been the industry standard for over 25 years. It's the most widely used filter in New Zealand, currently in use by every city council in the country, with 17,960 cartridges installed nationwide. Its patented siphon-actuated filtration process self-cleans between storms, and it's tested to a minimum of 80% TSS removal under NJDEP and Washington State approval standards.
Some products earn their reputation through marketing. Others earn it through decades of performance in the ground. The StormFilter™ falls firmly into the second category — a radial cartridge stormwater filter that has been the industry standard for over 25 years, and the first manufactured stormwater filter to gain regulatory approval on a global scale.
For engineers and councils across New Zealand, that track record matters. The StormFilter™ isn't just widely available — it's the most widely used filter in New Zealand, currently in use by every city council in the country, with over 17,960 cartridges installed nationwide.
What makes StormFilter™ different?
StormFilter™ is different because it uses a siphon-actuated filtration process — a patented, self-cleaning mechanism that sets it apart from simpler filtration approaches that rely on media alone to do the work.
How does StormFilter™ work?
StormFilter™ works through a four-stage siphon-actuated cycle:
- Filter — During a storm, runoff passes through the filtration media and begins filling the cartridge's center tube, purging air through a one-way check valve as water rises.
- Drain — Once water reaches the top of the float, buoyant forces release the float and allow filtered water to drain.
- Runoff — After the storm, water levels in the structure begin falling, with a hanging water column remaining under the cartridge hood.
- Cleaning — Air rushes through the scrubbing regulators, releasing water and creating air bubbles that agitate the filter media's surface, causing accumulated sediment to drop to the vault floor and restoring the filter's permeability between storm events.
This self-cleaning surface action is a major reason the StormFilter™ has maintained its position as the industry benchmark for so long: it directly addresses the surface blinding that limits the effective life of many other filtration media.
What is the performance data behind StormFilter™?
StormFilter's™ performance reflects two and a half decades of continuous refinement:
- 8th generation design, refined over two decades of field performance and engineering iteration
- 80% TSS removal, tested to a minimum standard under NJDEP and Washington State approval
- 1–3 years average maintenance interval, with some devices going 18–36 months between full cleans
- 17,960 cartridges installed throughout New Zealand alone
What pollutants does StormFilter™ remove?
As a versatile Best Management Practice (BMP), StormFilter™ efficiently removes heavy metals, nutrients, fine sediment, dissolved contaminants, oil, total suspended solids (TSS), and gross pollutants.
This breadth of removal, combined with a range of engineered media options — including Perlite for TSS and oil/grease, ZPG™ for high-traffic or high-metal-loading sites, Zeolite for soluble metals and ammonium, and GAC for oil, grease and organics like PAHs — means StormFilter™ can be tailored to the specific pollutant profile of almost any catchment.
What applications is StormFilter™ suited to?
StormFilter's™ configuration options make it suitable for an unusually broad set of land uses, including:
- Subdivision and local roading
- Car parks and shopping centres
- Council depots and industrial estates
- Heavy vehicle maintenance facilities
- Airport tarmacs and transport depots
- Tunnels, motorways, and major roading projects
- Recycling yards
Three core configurations — PCV (Precast Vault) for medium-sized sites, HF (High Flow) for large or expansive catchments, and PCM (Precast Manhole) for point-of-entry setups — allow StormFilter™ to be integrated into detention, drywell, catchpit, and soakage systems with minimal disruption to existing infrastructure.
Is StormFilter™ approved for use in New Zealand?
Yes. Being the first manufactured stormwater filter to gain regulatory approval on a global scale isn't just a historical footnote — it reflects the depth of independent testing and evaluation StormFilter™ has undergone. In New Zealand specifically, StormFilter™ is approved for use by Auckland and Christchurch councils and accepted for use nationwide, giving engineers and consent authorities a well-established, well-understood benchmark to design against.
What support and warranty comes with StormFilter™?
Long-term reliability isn't just about the device itself — it's about the support behind it. Stormwater360 is the only provider in New Zealand to offer both a cartridge exchange programme and a Lifetime Warranty on StormFilter™ cartridges, for customers under Cartridge Exchange or Full-Service maintenance contracts. This means asset owners aren't just buying a filtration device — they're buying into an ongoing maintenance partnership designed to keep the system performing at its rated capacity for the long term.
Stormwater360 also provides free online maintenance training so contractors can become a certified StormFilter™ maintenance partner and maintains a list of certified maintenance partners for asset owners to select from.
A quarter-century of trust, still evolving
Twenty-five years is a long time in any industry, and it would be easy for a legacy product to rest on its history. Instead, StormFilter's™ eighth-generation design reflects continuous refinement — proof that becoming the industry standard isn't a one-time achievement, but an ongoing commitment to performance, reliability, and support.
For engineers and councils looking for a proven, widely accepted filtration solution backed by decades of independent data and nationwide installation history, StormFilter™ remains the benchmark others are measured against.
Ready to design a StormFilter™ solution for your site? Try our free online sizing tool for instant DIY sizing and technical specifications or talk to an expert about your project.
Learn more about StormFilter™ HERE.
