Water sensitive urban design and stormwater harvesting - on the path to sustainable urban development - case studies from Sydney, Australia

Abstract

In Australia, Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) or Sustainable Urban Drainage (SUDS)is being used to integrate urban drainage and water supply infrastructure planning and designwith elements of hydrology, ecology, land use planning and landscaping, To support thisdirection, various National and State guidelines and legislation have been developed that areaimed at changing traditional engineering and urban design practice,Recent droughts affecting most of Eastern Australia, including three capital cities, has led to afocus on urban water management. This has increased the attention and recognition ofintegrated water management including water conservation, demand management,diversification of supply, protecting environmental flows and improving water quality at thereceiving bodies. Within Australia, stormwater reuse is being promoted as one way to lessenthe demand on drinking water supplies for non-potable uses. Important for urban areas is theneed for appropriate levels of treatment (depending on use) and sufficient storage to provide areliable supply. From an integrated water management perspective such projects can havemultiple benefits through managing the discharge and improving the quality from lowfrequent storms at the local scale while providing broader water conservation gains across theurban area.This paper discusses two case studies from Australia that have applied integrated watermanagement principles within an existing urban catchment. These include a stormwaterharvesting project to irrigate a sports field and a car park bioretention system to treat roadrunoff before it discharges to a natural stream.