A capacity study asks whether the existing municipal system can take your development. It covers trunk water, sanitary, and storm infrastructure.
The study establishes the demand your project adds. It then tests that demand against the available capacity in the downstream network.
Water analysis covers domestic demand and fire flow. Sanitary analysis covers peak flow against the capacity of the receiving sewer.
Where capacity is short, the study identifies what would need to change. That may mean an upgrade, a restriction on flow, or a phasing approach.
This work matters most on high-density and large-scale proposals. It is also where a municipality is most likely to push back on an application.
The findings feed straight into the servicing case, so the study is prepared with the Functional Servicing Report. Run before you commit to a site, the same analysis forms part of a servicing feasibility study.
For more on assessing downstream capacity, read Engineering Due Diligence Before Buying Development Land .