may 2016 water and environment news - bmtwbm.com.au news 160526 lo… · hydrological modelling and...
TRANSCRIPT
MAY 2016
Inside: Navigating Stormwater Quality Offsets, Managing Urban Hydrology and more....
Water and Environment News
2 WATER & ENVIRONMENT MAY 2016
3: Welcome4: Managing Urban Hydrology to
Protect Environmental Values6: Harvesting Stormwater
for Drought Resilienceand Waterway Protection
8: Science and Practice of Bioretention Systems
10: SOURCE goes salty for the Fitzroy
11: Navigating Stormwater Quality O�sets
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Contents
“”BMT WBM remains at the cutting edge of urban catchment management
The Prime Minister’s support for private investment in innovation is also warmly received as it aligns well with BMT WBM given that we have a long history and solid reputation of innovation in the water and environment space.
On a personal note I am very pleased to have been given the responsibility for leading the Water and Environment Group at BMT WBM. Our vision for the Water and Environment Group is to expand our offerings and geographic reach while continuing to deliver personalised service to clients using clever and innovative solutions. I look forward to working with you in the near future.
Dr Philip Haines,Managing Director, Water and Environment
It is with pleasure that I provide the latest Water and Environment News from BMT WBM. Outlined herein are some targeted thoughts and commentary on current projects relating to our urban stormwater and catchment water quality services. BMT WBM remains at the cutting edge of urban catchment management, supported by our second to none skills and experience in flood modelling, water quality modelling, water efficiency and environmental strategic planning. We work with government and industry to write guidelines and policies, and then help developers, public and private, to meet these requirements and achieve good environmental outcomes.
Market conditions in Australia continue to be very tight as a result of the depressed resources sector and slow infrastructure investment. It is therefore pleasing to see private sector development continuing in some areas.
Welcome
WATER & ENVIRONMENT MAY 2016 3
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Management strategies are anessential component of environmentalcontrols governing future development
For more information please contact:Mark Wainwright Team Leader Urban WaterMark.Wainwright @bmtwbm.com.au
Stormwater management in urban catchments has increasingly focused on filtering and biological treatment of runoff to improve water quality. Whilst stormwater quality is a key concern, changes to runoff flow rates and volumes can often have detrimental impacts on natural environments. Indeed hydrology changes due to urban development can be a significant threat to coastal wetland vegetation and the associated wildlife.
As demonstrated in a recent project on Porters Creek Wetland for Wyong Shire Council, increased runoff from stormwater can lead to drowning of trees and weakening of tree root support in wetlands.
Dead and fallen trees then open up the wetland canopy enabling invasive plant species to establish, reducing habitat for native fauna. Stormwater flows have also increased erosion of creek bed and banks, resulting in increased sediment and nutrients loads being directed to the wetlands.
Water management strategies are an essential component of environmental controls governing future development within sensitive coastal catchments. We believe that these strategies require clear objectives and targets for managing both hydrology and water quality.
As we did for Porters Creek, the strategies should also contain details of specific measures for mitigating detrimental impacts, and for rehabilitating/retrofitting existing underperforming stormwater infrastructure. Hydrological modelling and detailed flow analysis are usually necessary to assess conditions and demonstrate feasibility of proposed measures.
BMT WBM is at the leading edge of urban water modelling and management, providing innovative and practical solutions to the impacts of existing and future development, from lot scale to catchment scale.
Managing Urban Hydrology to Protect Environmental Values
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Design
Construction Establishment
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Using our city catchments for water supply is one way to build resilience to future drought. Harvesting stormwater can also reduce detrimental impacts of development on waterways. Still in relatively nascent stages in Australia, stormwater harvesting requires consideration of collection and storage at various scales if it is to have a genuine impact on potable water demand.
BMT WBM is providing expert water management advice and services as part of master planning for one the most ambitious stormwater harvesting projects in Australia. Aura, the ‘City of Colour’, previously known as Caloundra South, is Australia’s largest new master planned city and an exemplar of ‘beyond best practice’ water sensitive urban design. A highly innovative stormwater harvesting strategy is currently being investigated to service the community and help protect the Ramsar listed wetlands within Bells Creek and Pumicestone Passage.
BMT WBM has also led the design of four stormwater harvesting wetlands which have been retro fitted into existing parklands. Each of these wetlands has been carefully planned and designed to integrate with local park uses and provide a ready supply of harvested stormwater for sports field irrigation. As well as design, BMT WBM can provide construction supervision and establishment review to ensure a quality asset is delivered.
Harvesting Stormwater for Drought Resilienceand Waterway Protection
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For more information please contact:Brad DalrympleTeam Leader, Urban [email protected]
Science and Practice of Bioretention Systems
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“”Bioretention systems are highly effective in removing stormwater pollutants and reducing flow volumes
Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) seeks to integrate land and water planning to achieve a balance between urban growth and environmental sustainability. Stormwater quality is typically managed through the use of bioretention systems. Bioretention systems have come under scrutiny within the industry as most of the scientific analysis comes from sites located in Melbourne (which can differ greatly from local conditions), and that a number of constructed bioretention systems are not performing to expectations.
BMT WBM has recently undertaken monitoring of bioretention systems on the Sunshine Coast. Our initial findings demonstrate that bioretention systems are highly effective in removing stormwater pollutants and reducing flow volumes. BMT WBM is also supporting Healthy Waterways develop a new bioretention filter media specification that is aimed at improving plant survival. We will present on these two projects at the Stormwater National Conference in August this year.
BMT WBM continues to invest in research and technical excellence in the science of stormwater management, with benefits to our private and public sector clients.
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For more information please contact:Lucy PeljoSenior Environmental [email protected]
How can Councils control runoff when urban development sites are too constrained to incorporate effective site-based stormwater quality treatment systems such as wetlands and bioretention systems? Similarly, how can Councils ensure that privately built stormwater quality treatment systems don’t fail in the future causing more bad than good? One answer to both these questions may be Stormwater Quality Offsets.Stormwater Quality Offsets seek to control stormwater runoff at a catchment-scale using financial contributions from development within the catchment.
BMT WBM and project partners, recently provided a comprehensive planning framework for application of stormwater offsets in Ipswich. The offsets scheme is being used to deliver new stormwater treatment systems under the care and control of Council such as a stormwater harvesting wetland/detention basin integrated with a new sports field at Redbank Plains (also designed by BMT WBM and Council).
While offsets provide an attractive option for holistic integration of land and water planning, they are inherently complex and require careful evidence-based planning to ensure appropriate provisions are made for future development and equitable contributions from stakeholders. BMT WBM is one of the few specialist water management firms that is experienced in stormwater offsets and sustainable urban water planning.
Navigating Stormwater Quality Offsets
For more information please contact:Paul DubowskiSenior Environmental [email protected]
“”The offsets scheme is being used to deliver new stormwater treatment systems
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Saline mine releases and overall river salinity are hot topics for the Fitzroy River in central Queensland. Flooding dating back to 2008 has inundated many mine sites in the Fitzroy Basin, and discharge of excess mine water still remains a concern. High salinity in freshwater systems impacts on freshwater organisms and ecosystem health, as well as other social and economic values such as suitability of the river for drinking water, livestock watering and crop irrigation. Salinity in the Fitzroy Basin can also originate from a variety of sources including groundwater, weathering of rocks, sodic soils, ocean spray deposits and anthropogenic land use practices such as irrigation and grazing.
The Australian Coal Association Research Program (ACARP) has recently funded a research and development (R&D) project to better understand salt generation and transport in the Fitzroy Basin, with the Fitzroy Partnership for River Health (FPRH) as the major partner. Managed by BMT WBM, and with project collaborators Alluvium and Flowmatters, the R&D project involves developing a bespoke ‘salt module’ within the SOURCE numerical modelling framework.
The module utilises the existing functionality of the ‘Paddock to Reef’ model (created by the Qld DNRM) complemented by the findings of targeted research into salt generation and transport which are specific to the Fitzroy catchment. The new salt module for SOURCE will build on the best available science to provide a platform for assessing future scenarios and the effectiveness of salinity management actions. Additionally, a visualisation tool to enable input directly to the annual River Health Report Cards will be delivered by the FPRH.
SOURCE goes salty for the Fitzroy
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For more information please contact:Damion CavanaghPrincipal Environmental [email protected]
“”The new salt module for SOURCE will build on the best available science
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BMT WBM has a proven record in addressing today’s engineering and environmental issues.We aim to continue to enhance our services, capabilities and areas of application to meet the community’s future development and environmental protection needs.
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