When: Friday 9th September 2011, 3.30pm to 5.30pm

Where: Christie Conference Centre, Mayflower Room, Level 1, 320 Adelaide St, Brisbane City

Outline

Over the last decade the need for effective urban water planning has become more critical due to severe droughts, flooding, increases in costs and environmental pressures.

Over this time, a number of planning frameworks have developed to deal with this emerging situation. Professor Stuart White proposes that we are on the verge of a fourth generation of urban water service provision.

Professor White will propose how the history of water management can inform water  management and planning in South East Queensland, and discuss changes in the role of the water industry and the participation of the community in decision-making.

Presenter

Professor Stuart White is Director of the Institute for Sustainable Futures where he leads a team of researchers who create change towards sustainable futures through independent, project-based research.  With over twenty years experience in sustainability research, Professor White’s work focuses on achieving sustainability outcomes at least cost for a range of government, industry and community clients across Australia and internationally. This includes the design and evaluation of programs for improving resource use efficiency and an assessment of their impact. Professor White has written and presented widely on sustainable futures and is a regular commentator on sustainability issues in the media.

Professor White has undertaken research in the area of urban water, water efficiency, least-cost planning in the water industry, and distributed water systems since 1992. He was the editor and main author of the first Water Services Association of Australia’s Guide to Demand Management for Water Utilities. In 2001, he lead a project to develop the principles and application of least-cost planning, end-use analysis, and demand management for water service provision in the planning and operations of Brisbane City Council and Brisbane Water.

[BOOKINGFORM]

Sorry about that. Let’s see if we can help you.

Did you pay by credit card?

You should have immediately received an email that includes a link to download the document. If you haven’t received an email:

1. Check your junk email folder in case it has ended up in there.
2. Check that the confirmation email didn’t go to one of your colleagues (sometimes guidelines are ordered by admin staff or sometimes people use a generic company email address).
3. You can also log in to the Water by Design website and access your paid downloads under the ‘My Account‘ menu item (great, take me there now).

Did you pay by cheque or direct deposit?

You will have been immediately emailed a tax invoice. The download link will be emailed to you after we’ve received and processed your payment.

1. Have you paid? This can take a while if your accounts department takes some time to pay – you might need to ask them nicely. It can take a few working days after you’ve made payment before we send you the link.
2. Check your junk email folder in case either the email the tax invoice or the download link ended up in there.
3. Check that the confirmation email didn’t go to one of your colleagues (sometimes guidelines are ordered by admin staff or sometimes people use a generic company email address).
4. You can also log in to the Water by Design website and access your paid downloads under the ‘My Account‘ menu item (great, take me there now).

Still no document?
If you have tried the above options and still having trouble please contact us using the form below and we will quickly help solve the problem for you. Please try and include as much detail as possible to help us help you, including the document your ordered (eg MUSIC Guideline), approximate date you ordered the document, the method of payment, and the name of the person who submitted the order (if it wasn’t yourself).

Local governments in South East Queensland are required by the Environmental Protection (Water) Policy (2009) of the Environmental Protection Act 1994 to develop and start implementing a Total Water Cycle Management (TWCM) Plan before 1 July 2012. The policy states that when local governments plan and implement their TWCM Plans, they ‘must have regard to guidelines published by the department about total water cycle management’. This document is the ‘guideline’ the policy refers to—it outlines a process to develop and implement a TWCM Plan. If a TWCM Plan is satisfactorily prepared in accordance with the guideline, it will comply with the EPP (Water) 2009 requirements.

Total Water Cycle Management Planning Guideline
Download (PDF 4 MB)

Trouble downloading? Try right clicking on the above link (ctrl click on mac) and select ‘Save Target As’, then select the preferred download destination.

These draft development conditions are for bioretention systems given the large number of systems being designed and constructed.

Download Draft Development Conditions: Engineering
Download Draft Development Conditions: Landscape

• reformatting for improved usability and consistency with other Water by Design products
• sections 2.5.4 and 3.6.4 – inclusion of river stone as a mulch to avoid
• section 3.4.6 – inclusion of commentary on impacts of over compaction and need for surface of filter media to be flat
• section 3.5.1 – changes to filter media specifications, including nitrogen and phosphorus content and acid sulfate soil requirements
• section 3.5.2 and 3.5.4 – the information in Section 3.5.4, which details when transition layers can be omitted is now included in Section 3.5.2, which outlines the specifications for transition layers.  Subsequent sections have been renumbered
• section 3.9.3, Step 30 – removal of statement that recycled water for irrigation is generally not recommended. This is because if recycled water is the only source of water then it should be used to establish the vegetation
• figures 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3 – changes to labels
• chapter 3, Form F – adjusted to include Option 3
• chapter 4 – inclusion of a section on timing considerations for wetlands. This is now Section 4.3 with subsequent sections renumbered
• minor edits.

Back to main page Guidelines

2010 was a busy year for the water industry. Here is a reminder of some of the most important news items, just in case you missed them. We look forward to another energetic year working with you in 2011 to build healthy waterways and livable cities.

Policy and strategy

Throughout 2010 the Queensland Government introduced major reforms to the management of South East Queensland’s water.  In February the South East Queensland Water Strategy was released, and in July three new water retailers and four bulk water authorities were created. Further reforms included placing the Tugan Desalination Plant and the Gibson Island Advanced Water Treatment Plant on standby, merging the region’s two bulk water authorities by 1 July 2011 and, following extensive debate over water prices, decreasing the 10 year price-path for bulk water sales. Read the ministerial media release here.

In October 2010 the State Planning Policy 4/10 Healthy Waters (SPP) was released. The SPP is designed to protect environmental values of our waterways by ensuring urban development manages stormwater and wastewater. These reflect the design objectives of the SEQ Regional Plan. To support this policy, Water by Design prepared a business case of the likely costs and benefits of using water sensitive urban design to meet the objectives in the SPP.

In December 2010, Brisbane City Council released its WaterSmart Strategy. Guiding Brisbane to become Australia’s most sustainable and water smart city, the strategy says Brisbane must become a water smart city to provide healthy water for future generations.

In November 2010, Logan City Council released its draft Integrated Water Strategy, Designing a Water Sensitive Future Strategy 2010–2015 for comment.

In May, regulation affecting Greywater Treatment Systems changed. Regardless of size, all systems are assessed and approved under the Chief Executive approval system of the Plumbing and Drainage Act 2002 (PDA).

Sustainability gains momentum

In March 2010, the Urban Land Development Authority (ULDA) released the Residential 30: Guideline and associated practice notes which details the need for more affordable and sustainable housing and the Department of Infrastructure and Planning released the draft Queensland Greenspace Strategy which focuses on increasing recreational space where public use is a priority.

In September 2010, the International Water Association released its draft Cities of the Future Report . The report contains key principles for creating sustainable cities, in which water is an integral part of urban planning.

In November 2010, the Australian Water Association released their State of the Water Sector Survey results. Based on feedback from 1200 water sector stakeholders about critical issues facing the industry, sustainably managing water is the number one priority.

In December 2010, the National Water Commission called for greater use of recycled water as part of urban water supplies. Read the media statement here and the position statement here.

In March 2010, Healthy Waterways undertook an online survey to benchmark awareness and attitudes towards waterway health issues in South East Queensland. The survey found that households are willing to pay up to $300 per year to protect their local waterways. Survey results here.

In March, the Premier of Queensland, The Honorable Anna Bligh MP hosted the Queensland Growth Management Summit. The Growth Summit Communique was also released which called for leadership to restore waterways around defined ecological corridors and watercourses.

The Minister for Climate Change, Energy Efficiency and Water, Senator Penny Wong announced a $7.13 million grant for the Fitzgibbon Stormwater Harvesting Project and Fitzgibbon Potable Roofwater Project and in July, the Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced an additional $100 million for the Stormwater Harvesting and Reuse Program from the National Urban Water Desalination Plan. Read ALP Media Statement and ABC Online.

A Rapid Assessment and Action Plan Tool was released in June to enable local governments to carry out “do-it-yourself” appraisals of their capacity and needs to successfully implement and mainstream Water Sensitive Urban Design.

The annual Healthy Waterways Ecosystem Health Report Card was released in October.

The Water by Design Program

The Water by Design program won the Australian Water Association’s (Qld Branch) Program Innovation Award for its significant and innovative work within the water industry, and the National Stormwater Industry Association’s Excellence in Asset Management Award for the Needs and Scope Assessment to Advance Water Sensitive Urban Design Asset Management Practices.

In September 2010, an Independent Evaluation Report found that the Water by Design Program is highly regarded, provides good value for money, delivers high quality products and services and strongly influences the region’s capacity to implement sustainable urban water management.

Water by Design launched a new Case Study Register to showcase Water Sensitive Urban Design projects in the region. here.

Water by Design hosted an evening with acclaimed water artist, Jennifer Turpin. Jennifer discussed her kinetic public art sculptures and large scale environmental installations.

Publications

Total Water Cycle Management Planning Guideline was released in September. This guideline outlines a process to develop and implement a Total Water Cycle Management Plan (TWCM). Local governments in South East Queensland are now required by the Environmental Protection (Water) Policy (2009) of the Environmental Protection Act 1994 to develop and implement a TWCM Plan before 1 July 2012. If a TWCM Plan is satisfactorily prepared in accordance with this guideline, it will comply with the EPP (Water) 2009 requirements.

Standard Drawings for Water Sensitive Urban Design were released (in partnership with the Institute of Public Works Engineers Australia (Qld Branch)). The drawings inform detailed design, standardise common design requirements (where possible), and reduce design and assessment costs and timeframes.

A Business Case for Best Practice Urban Stormwater Management, Version 1.1 was released. The business case covers the social, environmental and financial costs and benefits of meeting water conservation and stormwater design objectives.

MUSIC Modelling Guidelines, Version 1.0 was released. This guideline provides a consistent approach to stormwater quality modelling and assessment.

Deemed to Comply Solutions – Stormwater Quality Management (South East Queensland), Version 1.0 and Deemed to Comply Worked Solutions and Examples – Stormwater Quality Management (South East Queensland), Version 1.0 were released. These two guidelines provide ‘off the shelf’ stormwater solutions for meeting water quality objectives for small scale SEQ development.

Construction and Establishment Guidelines: Swales, Bioretention Systems and Wetlands, Version 1.1 was released. The guideline contains detailed steps and protocols for the construction and establishment of vegetated stormwater systems.

Multiple Use of Open Space Discussion Paper was released. This discussion paper explores the issues and opportunities associated with integrating Water Sensitive Urban Design into multiple-use open spaces.

Advancing the Design of Stormwater Biofiltration Facility for Advancing Water Biofiltration, June 2008 This document provides a summary of FAWB’s findings to date on biofiltration technology. It includes a brief outline of the typical design of biofilters, the program research methodology and a summary of key findings. Download PDF

Transition to WSUD: The Story of Melbourne, Australia This report, released by the Facility for Advancing Water Biofiltration (FAWB) in association with the National Urban Water Governance Program, presents the findings of social research focused on identifying the key institutional change ingredients that will lead to the mainstreaming of the WSUD approach. That is, a transition from traditional to sustainable urban water management. Download PDF (1.4 MB)

Lifecycle Costs of Water Sensitive Urban Design Treatment Systems (Draft Nov 2007) This draft report was prepared for Brisbane City Council, and presents lifecycle costs on a range of stormwater quality management systems. It is important to read ‘Chapter 4: Summary of Data and Recommendations for Use’ prior to using the information for planning purposes. Note that further costing data will be available through the Business Case for WSUD being developed by Water by Design (in press). Download PDF (1.3 MB)

The new mall, including its state of the art integrated water sensitive urban design was opened on Chinese New Year to the accolades of both the local business community and the general public. The redeveloped Brisbane Chinatown Mall is the most sustainable and modern Chinatown Mall in the world and has become a major attraction in Brisbane and is an important part of the revitalised Valley.

New Farm Park was an ideal opportunity to present this advanced water mining technology in an inner city urban Australian environment. It provided an occasion to showcase local communities with a recycled water application and to optimise the water mining trials and publish results.