Sustainable Urban Water Program
HCCREMS Sustainable Urban Water capacity building activities are now be delivered under the regional "Focus on Sustainability" program.
Key current project activities include:
- Focus on Facilities which aims to support our member Councils to save both water and energy in their own facilities and operations.
- Focus on Natural Assets which seeks to support Councils to include natural assets under their care and control (such as wetlands, urban creeks, street trees and urban bushland) into their long term Asset Management and Strategic planning procedures.
- Planning and Development which seeks to continue HCCREMS previous work around Water Sensitive Urban Design to:
- raise the profile of sustainable water management in the region;
- mainstream water sensitive urban design and IWCM policy and practises within our Councils and water authorities; and
- promote innovation and best practice.
Regional Water Events
For a upcoming and proposed regional water events and links to past capacity building events (with downloadable presentations) please go to our water events page.
For more information and downloads on past events, please visit out past events page.
Regional Water Products
During 2010-11 a number of HCCREMS Regional Urban Water Products will be revised and updated:
HCCREMS continues to distribute regional e-news updates on urban water matters, as needed.
If you would like to receive this e-news and be informed of upcoming events please contact us.
ABOUT "Urban Water"
Sustainable urban water cycle management is a core part of overall urban sustainability — as how we manage water in our urban landscapes can impact on amenity, environmental health and our water supply.
A confusing array of terms are currently used to describe integrated management of water in the urban environment, including:
- Integrated Water Cycle Management (IWCM)
- Urban Water Cycle Management (UWCM)
- Sustainable Urban Water Management (SUWM)
- Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD)
Each of these terms encompass all aspects of potable water supply, reuse, and disposal, as well as the management and use of roof and stormwater.
The term “Water Sensitive Urban Design” ( “WSUD”) generally does not include consideration of reticulated potable mains water. WSUD is typically used to when describing a suite of urban planning considerations associated with managing the changes in stormwater flow patterns and water quality derived from roofs, paving, roads and other hard (impermeable) surfaces.
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Regional Urban Water Products
Water Smart Model Planning Provision & Practice Notes
Past projects under the Water Sensitive Urban Design Capacity Building Programhave spearheaded the development of a range of regional planning and management tools under the “Water Smart” banner.
In 2002 Model Planning Provisions and a National Design Guide for Water Sensitive Urban Design were released for use by Councils, as well as Industry Practitioners that have attracted interest and attention from all levels of government and organisations across Australia. HCCREMS at that time covered only 7 councils and was known as the Lower Hunter Central Coast Regional Environmental Management Strategy (LHCCREMS).
These provisions were revised in June 2007 in recognition of a changed regulatory and technical landscape and to respond to emerging practice in sustainable urban development.
They were re-released as the Water Smart Model Planning Provisions (1.1Mb PDF file).
The Model Planning Provisions are supported by 11 Water Smart Practice Notes:
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 Urbanwater website
In order to develop a comprehensive, interactive training tool for use by all Councils throughout NSW, the NSW Stormwater Trust funded the development of an online resource to help council officers, developers and the community, better understand and implement water sensitive urban design technologies.
The final output of the project was the development of a Stormwater/WSUD Capacity Building Toolkit for councils, containing a range of reports, presentations, and video based training modules and tools. In 2006 the Sustainable Stormwater Management Capacity Building Toolkit won the 2006 Stormwater Industry Association’s “National Award for Excellence in Stormwater Education”.
The toolkit is still available at www.urbanwater.info however it is currently being upgraded.
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urbanwatersites - Regional Register of WSUD Demonstration Sites
HCCREMS has developed an online searchable database of WSUD sites: www.urbanwatersites.info.
The Demonstration Sites Register is a searchable database of real life case studies that exhibit water sensitive urban design (WSUD) features from the HCCREMS region.
The sites contain a range of WSUD features: from swales to bioretention basins to rainwater tanks; and are typically designed to advance a range of sustainable water management objectives: protecting waterways, reducing demand for mains water, improving urban amenity and biodiversity and reducing infrastructure life-cycle costs.
Sites range from single water efficient homes to whole subdivisions. Greenfield commercial, industrial and residential sites are included, as are a number of retrofit and infill (brown-field) developments. Each site is mapped and you’ll find photos showing key features. You’ll also find information on the sites’ objectives, implementation issues, planning context and performance.
The information has been added by a range of contributors including local councils, water utilities and water authorities, developers and consultants.
You are welcome to become a registered user and / or contribute information on any site that you have had a role as an owner, operator, consultant, developer, designer, or some other capacity.
The geographic scope of the register is the region covered by the Central and Lower Mid-north Coasts, and the Hunter Valley - an area more or less corresponding to that administered by the Hunter Central Rivers Catchment Management Authority, one of the principal financial supporters of the register's initial development. Each site is mapped and you’ll find photos showing key features.
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Water Sensitive Urban Design Solutions for Catchments Above Wetlands
 Supported by funding from the NSW Stormwater Trust, the report "Water Sensitive Urban Design Solutions for Catchments Above Wetlands" was developed to provide guidance on setting appropriate flow and water quality performance criteria, as well as useful planning mechanisms to meet those targets.
The report comprises an overview document and four appendices:
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Regional Program History
HCCREMS has been running capacity building for local government in urban water matters for almost a decade. Most recently, the Regional Urban Water Program ran from 2006 to 2008, building upon HCCREMS previous work in the field of stormwater capacity building.
Major Program Activities and Outcomes include:
- Promotion of Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) adoption in local government planning instruments.
- Development of a register of demonstration sites around the region to demonstrate WSUD and IWCM.
- Provision of linkages between key stakeholders, including local and State government, CMA and industry.
- Research investment opportunities and assist stakeholder with preparing applications for assistance in the meeting the project’s objectives.
- Promotion of the www.urbanwater.info website as tailored support package for councils and others working with UWCM.
- Incorporation of WSUD/UWCM into Development Control Plans (DCPs) and other relevant planning instruments.
- Increased capacity of council staff to design, implement, monitor and maintain UWCM policies and practices in their Local Government Areas (LGAs).
- Improved capacity of developers and consultants to implement WSUD/UWCM in their proposals.
- More sustainable urban design form in the region.
- A reduction in equivalent stormwater discharge volumes and pollutants from new urban developments and reduced downstream impacts.
At the conclusion of this program a final benchmark survey was conducted to review progress over the period 2006-2008. It surveyed participant’s views on the barriers and opportunities for improving the implementation of WSUD/IWCM in the future. Key project reports for download include:
HCCREMS continues to distribute regional e-news updates on urban water matters, as needed.
If you would like to receive these please email us.
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Central Coast Public Schools Integrated Water Program 
Ten schools on the NSW Central Coast are:
- Installing smart water meters to measure water use every 15 minutes at their school - they can view the data real-time via a website
- Using the information from the smart meters and school water audits to determine the best wate saving measures
- Installing water saving devices, such as water tanks, flow restrictors, waterless urinals and dual flush toilets
- Participating in curricular activities to raise awareness about integrated water solutions
Click here for more information.
Australian Research Council (ARC) Research Program
"Optimal Source Control in Urban Water Cycle Management"
This is $1 million research program was coordinated by the University of Newcastle and research partners from 2002 to 2008; and was supported by LHCCREMS, Hunter Councils, the region's two Water Authorities, Hunter Area Health Service and Brisbane City Council. The grant funded five doctoral students to undertake research to inform our knowledge of the way the urban water cycle needs to be managed to achieve sustainable outcomes. Research topics included:
- The economic and environmental benefits of source control;
- Water quality in domestic rainwater tanks;
- The use of Multi Criteria Analysis and other decision support frameworks to weigh up different options for potable water supply.
Here is a summary of ARC Research Program papers and project findings.
Stormwater Extension Officers
Previously, LHCCREMS managed the Hunter and Central Coast Stormwater Extension Officer (SEO) program, which focused on building the capacity of local organisations to effectively manage stormwater through initiative such as UWCM. Technical support and activities provided by the Stormwater Extension Officer were underpinned by a number of complementary capacity building programs that lead to the resources listed above, as well as providing a range of events targeted at council officers and councillors, including conferences, training courses and demonstration field days.
These professional capacity building programs earned five awards in the 2001 Local Government and Shires Association Excellence in the Environment Awards, including divisional winner and overall state winners for both the 'Built Environment' and 'Stormwater Management' categories.
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