Water Sensitive Urban Design
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What is Water Sensitive Urban Design?
Water Sensitive Urban Design or 'WSUD' is a holistic approach to the planning and design of urban development that aims to minimise impacts on the natural water cycle and protect the health of aquatic ecosystems.
WSUD provides for the sustainable use and re-use within developments of water from various sources, including rainwater, stormwater, groundwater, mains water and wastewater (including 'greywater' and 'blackwater').
If we do not incorporate WSUD into projects we not only lose an opportunity to reuse stormwater, but also allow untreated polluted water to enter our waterways.
The key principles of WSUD are to:
- Protect and enhance our natural waterways
- � Treat and improve Stormwater quality
- Integrate stormwater treatment into the landscape
- Reduce drinking water demand
- Minimise wastewater generation and apply treatment for reuse
- Reduce rainfall run-off and peak flows (flood minimisation)
WSUD is not only for public roads and spaces; it can also be incorporated into the design of private homes and yards as well as commercial and industrial premises. Applications may include:
- Water saving measures to minimise requirements for drinking and non-drinking water supplies
- Permeable driveways and porous pavements to allow water to seep back into the ground
- Greywater systems to harvest and reuse wastewater
- Installation of rainwater tanks
- Raingardens to help filter pollutants out of stomwater before it enters our creeks and rivers
- Grassed swales to slow Stormwater and filter pollutants
WSUD is fast becoming the best approach to Stormwater management in our cities, offering an alternative to the traditional approach to Stormwater management where water is directed via pipes and waterways to the bay, with little, if any treatment prior to discharge. It requires a shift in thinking so that Stormwater is viewed as a valuable resource and our waterways as an environmental asset.
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- Water efficient appliances and fittings
- Rainwater tanks
- Stormwater harvesting systems
- Porous pavements
- Bioretention basins and raingardens
- Gross pollutant traps (GPT's)
- Ponds and shallow lake systems
- Sand filters
- Sedimentation basins
- Swales - vegetated, grass and buffer strips (instead of traditional kerb and channelling)
- Constructed wetlands
There are many different WSUD measures or tools which can be adopted, depending on the size and nature of the development, building or open space. Residential, commercial and industrial developments and buildings can all apply WSUD measures.
Council's Commitment to WSUD
In 2006, Council adopted its Sustainable Water Use Plan which commits Council to 'Plan and design for low water usage by planning water sensitive open spaces, including Water Sensitive Urban Design in all new facilities and capital works budgets and researching and trialling alternative methods for water reductions'.
The Plan also commits Council to a 40% reduction of potable water usage by 2015, compared to 2000/01. Council is tracking well ahead of schedule to meet the target, with the 2010/11 financial year revealing that water savings were running at 57% below the 334 million litres used in 2000/01.
Council has implemented various Water Sensitive Urban Design projects over recent years. In January 2012, Council endorsed the Frankston WSUD Guidelines to provide clarity and consistency for the process of implementing WSUD projects in Frankston City.
Related Information
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