Current Activities
Tools & Resources for Water Sensitive Urban Design
A number of tools and resources to assist practitioners design, construct and implement water sensitive urban design have been or are being developed by the Water by Design Program. While these tools and resources have been tailored to South East Queensland they are relevant around Australia.
Business Case for WSUD
Draft Version 1 released October 2009
A business case for Water Sensitive Urban Design in Queensland is being developed to build the receptivity of state government, local councils and the development industry. The business case will cover the social, environmental and financial costs and benefits of meeting water conservation and stormwater design objectives for the management of frequent flows, waterways stability, stormwater quality. Data will be drawn from literature and case study assessments of typical development types in Queensland, including ‘greenfield’ (e.g. large residential subdivisions) and infill development (e.g. inner city residential townhouses). Each case study will be analysed over three climatic regions – South East Queensland (e.g. Brisbane), Northern Queensland (e.g. Townsville / Cairns) and central Queensland (e.g. Mackay).
Concept Design Guidelines for Water Sensitive Urban Design
Successful integration of water management with the urban form requires a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach early in the design process. The Concept Design Guidelines for Water Sensitive Urban Design provides a framework to guide design teams through this process whilst providing information and ideas to stimulate good design practice. The guidelines are relevant to all scales of urban planning and design from whole-of-city planning to new master-planned communities and urban infill. Specifically the Concept Design Guidelines for Water Sensitive Urban Design cover:
- the disciplines required at each stage of the conceptual design process
- selecting and applying best management practices (e.g. rainwater tanks, constructed wetlands)
- best planning practices to give clear guidance on how to deliver water sensitive urban design successfully given various urban design considerations
- relevant strategic and statutory planning considerations
- case studies that provide good examples of how water sensitive urban design can be delivered in a range of urban environments
MUSIC Modelling Guidelines
The Model for Urban Stormwater Improvement Conceptualisation (MUSIC) is a software based decision support tool designed to assist users understand the quality of urban stormwater from varying land uses and the performance of stormwater management scenarios in terms of water quality improvement, flow attenuation and lifecycle costs.
The MUSIC Modelling Guideline for South East Queensland sets a regional standard for modelling practice and resolves the uncertainties and discrepancies between existing guidelines in the region. The guidelines consider climate variation across the region and provide a higher resolution of advice than any preceding guideline with detailed stormwater management device guidance including:
- modelling of rainwater tanks to account for local demands, local water restrictions and regional reuse strategies
- providing guidance to avoid misuse of bioretention basins
- providing guidance to avoid misuse of constructed wetlands
- preferred methods of modelling gross pollutant traps
Water Sensitive Urban Design Technical Design Guidelines
These guidelines are currently being updated to account for the latest information available from science and practice. Expect them mid 2010.
Water Sensitive Urban Design Deemed to Comply Solutions for South East Queensland
Draft Version released September 2009
The Water Sensitive Urban Design Deemed to Comply Solutions offer a series of “off the shelf” stormwater solutions for meeting water quality design objectives for small scale development across Queensland. The solutions are intended to reduce the reporting and assessment requirements for developments, and reduce or avoid the need for water quality modelling and stormwater management plan reporting requirements, while still ensuring appropriate stormwater quality treatment trains are employed. The solutions include the following aspects:
- provide a step by step process for selecting and designing the appropriate solution
- outline reporting requirements for development approval (a checklist is provided for development applications/assessment)
- summarise the design and documentation requirements for operation works approval
The solutions are to be accompanied by a series of sample site layouts which present the solutions in illustrative form.
Standard Drawings
In development
Water by Design is working with a range of stakeholders to develop a set of standard drawings which are intended to reduce the detailed design and documentation, and where possible standardise the common design requirements for stormwater treatment elements contained in the Water Sensitive Urban Design Technical Design Guidelines for South East Queensland (South East Queensland Healthy Waterways Partnership, 2006).
The standard drawings will form part of the Institute of Public Works Engineers Australia standard drawings and are likely to contain the following specifications:
- bioretention overflow pit
- bioretention clean-out
- bioretention edge details
- bioretention weir details
- kerb cut-outs
- flush kerb set down
- wetland outlet pit (riser and maintenance drain)
- wetland weir details
Construction and Establishment Guidelines: Swales, Bioretention Systems and Wetlands
A hurdle to the successful implementation of water sensitive urban design is the lack of appropriate guidance and protocols for construction and establishment for vegetated stormwater management systems. The Construction and Establishment Guidelines: Swales, Bioretention Systems and Wetlands (Water by Design, 2009) have been prepared to fill this void. These guidelines provide resources for the construction and establishment of swales, bioretention systems and stormwater wetlands. It provides civil and landscape specifications, step by step construction and establishment procedures, and sign-offs checklists and forms for certification and compliance.
Stormwater Harvesting Guidelines
Stormwater harvesting has been receiving a lot of attention in Queensland of late with the Queensland Development Code (QDC) Part MP 4.2 (effective 1 January 2008) identifying stormwater harvesting as a possible alternative water substitution measure to meet the minimum water savings targets. A number of projects have been built and many more are planned for the region. To assist engineers and other professionals with the planning, design and implementation of stormwater harvesting projects Stormwater Harvesting Guidelines have been prepared. The guidelines outline the typical processes and issues that should be addressed in the development of a stormwater harvesting scheme.
Asset Handover
In development
Vegetated stormwater systems are relatively new assets for Councils to be dealing with in terms of asset handover. The nature of the systems being a combination of civil infrastructure and landscape means that the process of asset handover is not being captured well. The intention is to provide guidance and tools (software etc) to assist with but not be limited to the following:
- linkages with the “staged” construction and establishment methods provided in the Construction and Establishment Guideline (Water by Design, 2009)
- timing of handover
- final compliance requirements
- plan sealing
- bonding
- practical completion
- on-maintenance
- maintenance bonding
- off-maintenance
- developer contributions for uncompleted works
- transfer to asset database (civil asset, landscape asset or a “new” water sensitive urban design asset, how, who does this, what information being transferred, what is missing, tools to improve this data capture )
- transfer to asset database GIS
- financial accounting (valuing the asset)
- linkages with Council balance sheets and budget forecasting
- resource requirements to support the above processes (linkage to funding)
- public assets, private assets, council assets
Asset Operation and Maintenance
In development
This is viewed by stakeholders in South East Queensland as probably their major issue and it is hoped the guidance will fulfil the advice requirements to allow cost effective operation and maintenance. The intention of the guideline is to provide guidance and tools (software etc) to assist with but not be limited to the following:
- who owns
- who manages asset
- resource and capacity needs
- matching the resource and capacity to maintenance process
- standardising maintenance process
- standardising inspection forms (to avoid need for maintenance plans as part of development assessment, less confusion)
- standardising maintenance forms (to avoid need for maintenance plans as part of development assessment, less confusion)
- specific management requirements for water sensitive urban design elements
- interaction with asset management database and GIS
- information feedback
- predictive tools for maintenance and resourcing
- financial account (valuing and depreciation)
- predictive tools for funding requirements (i.e. current assets plus likely future assets over next 5-10 years, linked to development assessment)
Note the scope and content of Asset Handover, and Operation and Maintenance is being defined through workshops with a number of councils. With so many interconnected issues associated with asset handover and ongoing management, it is important the scope of the guideline is well defined based on the actual requirements of Councils in South East Queensland. The Guidelines will form the basis for asset construction, handover and management for all Councils in South East Queensland by providing a menu of guidance, options and tools that Councils can simply adopt and implement.