Grass swale that was installed more than 5 years ago by Hornsby Shire Council in Sydney's north east.
  Water Sensitive Urban Design Planning Material and Practice Notes WSUD Technical Design Material and Specifications The Sustainable Water Challenge and WSUD Case Studies Council Information Exchange and WSUD Literature Sustainable Water Management Seminars and Events WSUD Web Links and WSUD Pictures
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WELCOME TO WSUD IN THE SYDNEY REGION

Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) in the Sydney Region
is a cooperative program between:

Sydney Metro Catchment Management Authority (SMCMA),
Upper Parramatta River Catchment Trust (UPRCT),
Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC),
Sydney Coastal Councils Group (SCCG),
NSW Stormwater Trust, and
Sydney Water.

Click here to download a two page summary of the WSUD in Sydney Program

Click here to download the 2007/08 WSUD in Sydney work plan

Click here to download the July 2008 WSUD e-newsletter

Aim

This program aims to enhance the ability and willingness of Council staff and Councillors to promote and implement more sustainable water management practices in their councils operations and in urban development projects in Sydney, Australia.

Methodology

A series of seminars, issues-based workshops and sites visits have been run to outline the main opportunities and challenges of WSUD and ways to improve water sustainability in urban development.
WSUD planning and technical guidelines have been developed for use in the Sydney Region of Australia.
A sustainable water challenge has been facilitated each year, with councils from around NSW entering projects they have been involved with that deal with more sustainable water management in some way.

Project Activities & Outcomes

Seminars

A series of seminars, workshops and sites visits have been run to help increase the understanding of WSUD. A summary of each event and some key papers presented can be found on the Seminars & Events page.

Sustainable Water Challenge

The Sustainable Water Challenge has been held since 2003 and involves councils entering projects that deal with more sustainable water management (improved water sustainability) in some way. From 2004 the Sustainable Water Challenge has been open to all councils in NSW, whereas in 2003 it was limited to councils in the Sydney Region. More information on the Sustainable Water Challenge, what it involves and links to this years entries can be found on the Sustainable Water Challenge page.

The projects entered in the Sustainable Water Challenge are judged by an expert panel, with category awards given out at a seminar held in August/September each year. Project summaries for each project entered to date and a huge range of other case studies can be found on the WSUD Case Studies page.

WSUD Planning Guide & Practice Notes

A Water Sensitive Planning Guide was developed with the help of local council planners and state government agencies. It is anticipated the planning guide will be adapted for use by councils to update/consolidate existing DCPs and LEPs. It can be downloaded from the Planning Guide and Practice Notes page.

A series of practice notes were developed and/or adapted from those created by LHCCEMS. These relate to common WSUD measures mentioned in the planning guide. They can also be downloaded freely from the Planning Guide & Practice Notes page.

WSUD Technical Guide


The UPRCT, Blacktown City Council, Baulkham Hills Shire Council with the support of the NSW Stormwater Trust and Sydney Water developed WSUD Technical Guidelines for Western Sydney (Australia). These guidelines were developed with the involvement of local councils in Western Sydney. They can be downloaded from the Technical Guide & Design Specs page.

Information Exchange & WSUD Literature

During the course of the program a lot of WSUD/water sustainability literature has been gathered and some of the key papers from Australia and overseas have been put onto this site to help fill information gaps. This material can be downloaded from the WSUD Literature page.

As well many councils have developed innovative WSUD/water sustainability policies or projects that they have kindly agreed to put onto the site to share with other councils who may be considering similar projects or policies. The council projects and/or policies can be downloaded from the Council Information Exchange page. If you have any projects or policies that you think may interest other councils please email them in.

WSUD Images and Links

I have listed a range of links to other WSUD, water sustainability, urban design and research sites on the WSUD links page. This page includes links to rainwater tank suppliers in NSW.

During the course of the project I have visited many WSUD sites around Australia and have put together an image bank or photo library of various WSUD/water sustainability devices in operation. These WSUD images are for councils to use to prepare reports or presentations for their councillors, senior management and communities. The images have been grouped into the following categories: grassed swales and bioretention systems/swales, rainwater tanks, sand filters and infiltration/sedimentation ponds, roadway and street retrofits, WSUD carparks, permeable paving, green roofs, constructed and subsurface wetlands, constructed fresh water lakes and stormwater reuse in public art. The entry page to the WSUD image categories and photos is the WSUD pics page.

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If you have any suggestions on how this site could be improved to better meet your needs please email me at: info@wsud.org

Regards
John Dahlenburg

Project Partners
 


WSROC Upper Parramatta River Catchment Trust NSW Stormwater Trust Sydney Water Sydney Coastal Councils Group Sydney Metro Catchment Management Authority

Links: Planning Guide | Tech Guide | Sustainable Water Challenge | Case Studies | Council Info Exchange | Literature | Events | Web Links | Images

© WSUD in Sydney 2002-2006 All Rights Reserved.