Welcome
Hello everyone
and welcome to the November edition of “Keep Things Flowing”, the
monthly newsletter presented by Storm Water Consulting.
In this month’s
newsletter we review a recent SPEL Breakfast Seminar, we answer
another frequently asked question and we bring you the latest news
from Storm.
SPEL Breakfast
Seminar
Earlier this
month Jack and Steve attended SPEL’s Breakfast Seminar held at
Southbank, Brisbane. The special guest speakers at the seminar were
Andy Reese from AMEC Foster Wheeler and Jack Mullaly from
Ideanthro.
Jack Hu (left), Jack Mullaly
(centre), Andy Reese (right).
Andy shared
his knowledge on the history of how local government stormwater
utilities came about in the USA. Utilities such as stormwater and
sewer are directly linked to household use, hence in the USA, the
general public deems it reasonable to be charged on a user-pays
basis. As a result, these utilities are well-funded and
well-maintained.
Here is
Australia, stormwater drainage infrastructure isn’t driven directly
by household use but rather individual Council’s allocation of
funding. As a result, stormwater drainage infrastructure and
maintenance only becomes a problem when it rains, hence these
utilities are often under-funded and poorly maintained. The
feedback from local governments and residents in the USA that have
adopted the user-pays basis has been overwhelmingly positive with
significant improvements in the stormwater utility sector for a
relatively low user fee. Whilst here in Australia we are generally not
in support of another form of levy, perhaps Councils could allocate
a specific portion of rates received, dedicated solely to the
maintenance and construction of stormwater infrastructure.
Jack Mullaly
spoke about water quality treatment of stormwater runoff and how a
different approach to setting water quality objectives would be
fairer for developers and more beneficial to the environment. Under
the current guidelines, developments are required to decrease the
pollutants discharging from the site by a set percentage. This
means that for developments with a higher concentration of
pollutants, it is easier to meet water quality objectives than for
a development the same size with lower concentration levels of
pollutants. Also, the development with the higher concentration
level of pollutants would still discharge more pollutants than the
lower concentration level site.
Jack spoke
about an alternative approach which would be to set a target
pollutant level based on the area and use of the development. This
would mean that developments of the same size but different use,
would discharge the same amount of pollutants. Likewise,
developments of the same use but different size would discharge
pollutants proportional to the size of the sites. Jack’s speech
certainly brought to light some points for further discussion in
future stormwater forums.
Frequently Asked Question
Question:
Brisbane
City Council’s City Plan mapping shows that my property is located
within the Overland Flow Flood Planning Area. What does this mean
for my property?
Answer:
The Overland
Flow Flood Planning Area shown on Council’s interactive mapping is
only indicative that overland flow is expected in the area. It does
not show the exact location of overland flow through a property. To
determine the exact location of overland flow and the associated
development impacts, a hydraulic engineer is required. The result
of an assessment may find that the overland flow covers more or
less site area than shown on the Flood Planning Area. If your
development site is impacted by any of Council’s Flood Planning
Areas we would be pleased to provide you with assistance in
determining the flooding characteristics and associated development
constraints with your property.
Christmas Break
Storm Water
Consulting will be closing over the Christmas – New Year period.
The office will be closed from Wednesday 21st December
2016 – 6th January 2016, with the office reopening on
Monday 9th January 2016.
Wrap Up
We hope you
enjoyed this edition of Keep Things Flowing. Feedback on articles
presented is always welcomed and for further information on any of
the articles presented please don’t hesitate to contact our office.
As always,
Keep Things Flowing!
The Storm Team
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