Publication (Media): URBAN STORMWATER COULD BE BETTER MANAGED, SAYS EXPERT

Publication Type:	Media Release
Publication Name:	URBAN STORMWATER COULD BE BETTER MANAGED, SAYS EXPERT

Reference Information

Cullen, P and Markwort, K (1995) URBAN STORMWATER COULD BE BETTER MANAGED, SAYS EXPERT - Sep 12 1995, CRCFE, Canberra - Media Release.

Optional Information

Other information:

September 12, 1995

CRCFE

URBAN STORMWATER COULD BE BETTER MANAGED, SAYS EXPERT

Urban waterways had not significantly improved during the past 20 years despite governments committing large amounts of resources to urban planning and environmental protection, stormwater management expert, Professor Peter Cullen said in Sydney today.

While stormwater management was potentially the linchpin of environmentally-sensitive urban development, it was being stifled by lack of vision and neglect of total catchment management principles.

Urban stormwater was, in many areas, a lost resource, Prof Cullen, Director of the Cooperative Research Centre for Freshwater Ecology, based in Canberra, said at the Planning for Creative Stormwater Management conference hosted by the Stormwater Industry Association.

The consequences of this lost resource included the pollution of our rivers and streams, leading to the growth of algal blooms.

For urban communities it included the loss of benefits such as green areas which provided aesthetic values as well as habitat for birds and wildlife and recreational opportunities.

Urban stormwater management was not just about flood control, Prof Cullen said. It was an issue which encompassed concerns about stormwater pollution and community demands for ecologically sustainable development.

'A well designed and integrated urban stormwater system provides a range of community benefits as demonstrated by the experience in Canberra,' Prof Cullen said.

'In addition to minimising the risk of flooding and protecting downstream waterways from contamination, Canberra’s stormwater system provides lakes for water sports, green areas for recreation, habitat for wildlife and the aesthetic environment for which Canberra is famous.'

Prof Cullen said the quest to reuse stormwater would increase as both urban development and the price of drinking water increased.

'We are currently wasting potable water on functions where it is not needed - watering sporting fields and flushing toilets.

'Despite the rhetoric of total catchment management during the past few years, urban water management has been less integrated and less coordinated than ever.

'A strategic approach to stormwater is required; an approach which incorporates supply options and sewerage planning as well as the stormwater.'

More research was also required to improve urban stormwater systems in cities other than Canberra.

While the CRCFE had done considerable research in Canberra and developed design criteria for pollution control ponds, this data was not transferable to other cities where soil types and rainfall patterns were completely different.

The CRCFE had begun research in Sydney and Melbourne which would hopefully lead to improved urban stormwater systems in those cities.

'Urban stormwater can no longer be thought of a waste to be discarded,' Prof Cullen concluded.

'It is a valuable resource that can be used to provide a variety of community needed and can take pressure off more valuable potable water resources.'

The Cooperative Research Centre for Freshwater Ecology is a collaborative venture between government agencies, the water industry and research organisations. It is aimed at providing the knowledge required for the sustainable management of our freshwater systems. Urban water management is one of its key research areas.

Media contact...Karen Markwort...(06) 201 5369

Professor Peter Cullen will address the Stormwater Industry Association’s 3rd Annual Soil and Water Management Conference at Sydney Hilton at 2pm today. He will be available for interview today and tomorrow until noon. Contact the Sydney Hilton on (02) 266 0610 and ask for the Soil and Water Conference.

Outside conference hours, Prof Cullen can be contacted by phone on (02) 358 1999, or fax on (02) 356 2951.

Search classifications

Administration