Stormwater

We consider this is one of the most important and sometimes overlooked subjects relating to urban water that we have to deal with as a community.  Urban stormwater is the water that runs off from hard surfaces in an urban environment.  Urban environments have many hard surfaces including roads, roofs, pavements and car parks.  Water falling on these surfaces, particularly during rainfall events, carries urban pollutants such as rubbish, detergents, animal faeces, fertilizers and automobile oil through stormwater drains and into urban streams.  This polluted and untreated stormwater adversely affects the health of our urban streams and may eventually make its way to our major rivers that provide vital water for irrigation and domestic use.  Stormwater also leads to a rapid increase in the water flowing through the stream (“flashy” flow), which inturn leads to stream-bank erosion.  Recognition and management of the problems associated with stormwater for our urban streams is one of the greatest challenges we face as a community.

Recognition of the problems associated with stormwater for our urban streams is being realised through education programs developed and adopted by Federal, State and Local Government bodies such as the EPA, CRCFE, CMAs, Water Service Providers, DSE, DIPNR and Local Government (see links below).

Management options for stormwater to reduce effects on flow and pollutants in urban streams are multi-faceted and the best options have a positive effect on both problems.  For example, pervious pavement allows rainfall to enter the soil where it is cleaned by microorganisms before slowly making its way to the stream.  In a similar way, stormwater that runs through extensive areas of grass swales not only reduces the flashiness of the receiving stream, but nutrients will be taken up by the grass and soil microorganisms before the water enters the urban stream.  Another management option that treats both problems associated with urban stormwater is artificial wetlands.  Artificial wetlands accept urban stormwater and hold it back from the stream for a time allowing plants to take up the nutrients in the stormwater.  Other management options include simply holding the water back from the stormwater drain and using it elsewhere.  For example, collecting rainwater from our roofs and reusing it on our gardens or in place of potable water to flush toilets.  This latter option is the subject of a research project headed by Dr Chris Walsh (see link to Chris's website below).

The problems with urban stormwater and streams have only recently been acknowledged by our community.  Research is currently underway to improve current management tools and develop others.  Other research projects are continuing to assess the effects of urban stormwater on our urban streams.  To date, the effects have been shown to be broadly detrimental.

You can do your part by becoming aware of your urban streams, throwing all rubbish in bins, cleaning up after your pets, only washing cars on the lawn, keeping your drains and pavements clean (but don’t hose them!) and lobby your local government to increase their efforts in management options.  If you would like to learn more about urban streams, stormwater and its management please follow the links below.

What is urban stormwater?
Stormwater is pure rainwater plus anything the rain carries along with it. In urban areas, rain that falls on the roof of your house, or collects on paved areas
www.epa.nsw.gov.au/stormwater

STORMWATER INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION
SIA is the general membership association for people and organisations involved with, or concerned about, stormwater in Australia.
www.stormwater.asn.au

HEALTHY WATERWAYS - WHAT WE ALL CAN DO.
When it rains, litter and pollutants such as engine oil are washed from our roads, nature strips and gutters into stormwater drains.
stormwater.melbournewater.com.au

Urban Stormwater Initiative
The Urban Stormwater Initiative was an program under the Australian Government's Living Cities program. The Urban Stormwater Initiative funded projects that tackled enhancing water quality in the waterways of major coastal cities by improving stormwater management
www.deh.gov.au/coasts/pollution

Water care fact sheets.
Stormwater System, Sewerage, the difference?.
The stormwater drainage system is separate from the sewerage system.
www.watercare.net/factsheets

Victorian Stormwater Action Program (VSAP)
EPA Victoria’s urban stormwater program, VSAP, is part of the Victorian government’s "Greener Cities" policy, and was launched by the Victorian Government in June 2000.
www.epa.vic.gov.au

Stormwater
Stormwater is pure rainwater plus anything the rain carries along with it. Stormwater should be considered a valuable resource. Its re-use leads to water savings and reduced environmental impact.
www.greenhouse.gov.au

What is Stormwater?
WA Stormwater Management Approach
Strategies and Management Plans
Stormwater is water flowing over ground surfaces and in natural streams and drains as a direct result of rainfall over a catchment.
www.wrc.wa.gov.au

Environmental impacts of stormwater and stormwater management
Sydney Water provides stormwater services to 1.1 million people through a 442-kilometre trunk stormwater network, mostly in the south and south-western suburbs of Sydney.
www.sydneywater.com.au

Coastal Issues Arising from Stormwater Discharge
The impacts of stormwater on the coastal environment are many and varied, and are related to the extent, nature and intensity of urban and industrial development
www.ozestuaries.org/indicators

Murdoch University
Water Sensitive Stormwater Policy
Water Sensitive Urban Design principles are adopted as Murdoch University’s preferred approach for the management of stormwater. The principles of Water Sensitive Urban Design should be demonstrated in the planning and refitting of future campus development.
www.murdoch.edu.au

Stormwater Management
The ANU community is committed to reducing its impact on the environment – as such we have undertaken regular environmental risk assessments on campus using the Comparative Environmental Risk Assessment Method (CERAM). These have highlighted water pollution as ANU’s most pressing environmental protection issue.
www.anu.edu.au

Detailed Information about current projects in this program is available here
Urban stormwater is a major contributor to the pollution of rivers and bays; runoff quality and quantity has been responsible for the degradation of most urban streams. Efforts to capture key pollutants to control urban stormwater pollution do not necessarily match needs of the downstream environment.
www.catchment.crc.org.au

Stormwater, sewage and pollution
What is the difference between stormwater and sewage systems? How do the systems work, and where does the water end up?
www.watercare.net

Organising a Stormwater Awareness Event
The water quality of stormwater draining into our rivers, creeks, bay estuaries and ocean is being more closely scrutinised for the pollution causes. Much of this pollution stems from our activities on land.
Australian Marine Conservation Society

Dr Christopher J Walsh
Senior Research Fellow, CRCFE has led many projects on urban stream ecology.
http://babylon.wsc.monash.edu.au/~cwalsh/