Stormwater Best Practice

Hi Lorna,

These links might give you some background about storm water management in the USA http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/soil_ &_water/vsmp.shtml#regforms, http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/publications/pfm/pfm_main.htm (downloadable manual), and http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/environmental/swm_quickref.htm.

Cheers,
Steve

Hello Lorna:

I have copied my colleague Christine Zimmer of Credit Valley Conservation (east of Toronto) as her expertise is in low impact stormwater management. I hope this helps,

Glen Pleasance

Water Effciency Coordinator
Region of Durham
Whitby Ontario Canada

Lorna,

Michael Mobbs is the guru on domestic building sustainability. He is in Sydney, NSW. About 15 years ago he cut his terrace house in Chippendale off from the sewerage and water (his house is self sufficient in rain water and recycles everything through reed beds etc). I think from memory it is about 80 percent self sufficient in electricity overall, and feeds back to the grid. His website is http://www.sustainablehouse.com.au/

Regards,
Andrea Koch

Sustainability Coach and Consultant

Here is a link to a publication from the University of Central Florida's Stormwater Management Academy titled: Effects of Stormwater and Stormwater Controls on Small Streams http://stormwater.ucf.edu/research/small_streams.htm

Other Academy publications can be found at: http://stormwater.ucf.edu/research_publications.asp

Tom

Lorna

Check out Low Impact Development (LID) information for alternatives. One place to start is http://www.lowimpactdevelopment.org

Kathy Hoppe
MDEP 207-760-3134

G'day Lorna

Our own CSIRO has produced a wonderful publication called WSUD (Water Sensitive Urban Design) Engineering Procedures - Stormwater. Your local council should insist that the developers use these design principles for stormwater management. The overall aim is for the developed land to replicate the stormwater flows of the land before development. It is likely that some water from the site currently flows into the creek but once developed stormwater runoff from paved areas will need to be treated (naturally using swales and reed beds preferably) beforehand. Of course some should also be retained on-site for household and garden use.

Hope this helps.
malcolm wilkie

sustain + able consulting
37 ivan st
fitzroy north vic 3068 australia
ph: 9489 9492
fax: 9489 0518
mob: 0419 139 269
email: [email protected]

Hi Lorna,

Try looking into a bio-swale. If they can infiltrate the water before it gets to the channel it will be a little cleaner when it discharges.

Patti

Hello all,

Try visiting the Melbourne Water website at www.melbournewater.com.au in metro Melb (or extent of the Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment) they are leading the way in waterway management, stormwater planning and implementation, and integration of Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) which looks at alternative drainage infrastructure that collects, treats and conveys stormwater flows, prior to it entering a waterway environment. If you would like to view some of the techniques visit their alternate site at www.wsud.melbournewater.com.au. When here, go to left hand menu, select Treatment Measures. >From the little you have said, I would suggest looking at a Raingarden installation (fact sheet downloadable from their site) or a biofiltration system (which is almost like a raingarden, just more linear and doubles like a stormwater pipe system, only difference is it is vegetated so looks nice on surface and treats the flow unlike traditional drainage systems). Either way, you get treatment, conveyance AND the property owner can have an aesthetic vegatated outlook. At this same site you will find a range of publications under "Guidelines" with standard drawings, applications etc. I recommend the first one for those in the industry - WSUD Engineering Procedures, or the Urban Stormwater Best Practice Environmental Management Guidelines 1999(number 8 on the list) for less technical information. The USBPEM Guidelines apply to Victoria where we have best practice targets to reduce: TN (Total Nitrogen) by 45% TP (Total Phosphorus) by 45% TSS (Total Suspended Solids) by 80% Litter (or Gross Pollutants) by 70%

All the best.
Caroline.

Caroline Carvalho
Manager Environment Dept
P: (03) 9294 6232
M: 0418 303 276
F: (03) 9294 6497
E: [email protected]
W: www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au

Hi Patti,

We have one on our land - about 5m away from where the proposed pipe is to go! I'm hoping the council will block the plans for the pipe, but you can't trust 'em. (you REALLY can't - google wollongong council!)

cheers,
Lorna