Regional Events - workshops & field tours

For a list of our capacity builing events and to download past event presentations, please go to our events page.

Final Benchmark Survey Report

At the conclusion of the “Mainstreaming Integrated Water Cycle Management Program” otherwise known as the “Regional Urban Water Program”, outlined below, a final benchmark survey was conducted to review progress over the period 2006-2008.  It also surveyed participant’s views on the barriers and opportunities for improving the implementation of WSUD/IWCM in the future.  Follow this link for a copy of the Final Benchmark Survey Report (503Kb PDF).

Urban Water Cycle Management (UWCM)

 

Sustainable urban water cycle management is a core part of overall urban sustainability — impacting as it does on amenity, environmental health and water supplies.  The goal of this two year program is to mainstream integrated water management across the 14 councils participating in the Hunter Central Coast Regional Environmental Management Strategy (HCCREMS).

A number of terms are currently used to describe integrated management of water in the urban environment.   Perhaps the most common are “integrated water cycle management” (IWCM), “urban water cycle management” (UWCM) and sustainable urban water management.  Each of these three terms encompass all aspects of potable water supply, reuse, and disposal, as well as the management and use of roof and stormwater.  They also subsume that part of the urban water cycle addressed by “Water Sensitive Urban Design” or “WSUD”, which although sometimes used as an alternative term, generally excludes consideration of reticulated potable mains water.  Its main use is in describing the 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.

 

Program Objective

The objective of the program is to raise the profile of sustainable water management to:

• Mainstream water sensitive urban design policy and practises
• Progress an urban water cycle approach to management programs and practises in Councils
• Promote innovation and best practise
   

Major Program Activities & Outcomes

1. Promotion of Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) adoption in local government planning instruments.
2. Develop a register of demonstration sites around the region to demonstrate WSUD and IWCM.
3. Provision of linkages between key stakeholders, including local and State government, CMA and industry.
4. Research investment opportunities and assist stakeholder with preparing applications for assistance in the meeting the project’s objectives.
5. Promotion of the www.urbanwater.info website as tailored support package for councils and others working with UWCM.
6. Incorporation of WSUD/UWCM into Development Control Plans (DCPs) and other relevant planning instruments.
7. Increased capacity of council staff to design, implement, monitor and maintain UWCM policies and practices in their Local Government Areas (LGAs).
8. Improved capacity of developers and consultants to implement WSUD/UWCM in their proposals.
9. More sustainable urban design form in the region.
10. A reduction in equivalent stormwater discharge volumes and pollutants from new urban developments and reduced downstream impacts.

Draft Regional Capacity Building Strategy

We are currently reviewing our capacity building program for the next 12 months. Please follow this link to view the draft strategy.

 

Regional Water Program Newsletters

Please follow this link to our regional water program newsletters.

 

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.  The Model Planning Provisions and a National Design Guide for Water Sensitive Urban Design were developed 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).

The Water Smart Model Planning Provisions (1.1Mb PDF file), originally developed in 2002, were revised in June 2007 to incorporate regulatory changes and the release of new guidelines. 

These are supported by 11 Water Smart Practice Notes (also revised May 2007) listed below.

Urbanwater Toolkit

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 WSUD Capacity Building CD and Toolkit for councils, containing a range of reports, presentations, and video based training modules and tools.  The resulting (award winning) toolkit is available at; www.urbanwater.info.  It contains links to videos, presentations, and the Water Smart Planning Provisions outlined above.

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:

Regional WSUD Demonstration Sites Register

HCCREMS has developed an online searchable Demonstration Sites register: 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.

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 Funding - "Optimal Source Control in Urban Water Cycle Management"

This is $1 million, 5 year research program, commenced in 2002, involving LHCCREMS, Hunter Councils, the region's two Water Authorities, the Hunter Area Health Service and Brisbane City Council.  The grant funds research being conducted by five doctoral students; improving our knowledge of the way the urban water cycle needs to be managed to achieve sustainable outcomes.  

In particular, the project focuses on the economic and environmental benefits of source control and what can be achieved through sustainable use of mains water, stormwater and wastewater.  The Research brief provides further detailed information about the programs aims, objectives and potential outcomes.  Each student’s work will be published following submission of their final theses.

Previous Programs

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.  In 2006 the Sustainable Stormwater Management Capacity Building Toolkit won the 2006 Stormwater Industry Association’s “National Award for Excellence in Stormwater Education”.