Melbourne Water’s stormwater quality offsets

Abstract

Melbourne Water has recently introduced a Stormwater Quality Offsets Strategy to mitigate pollution impacts of urban development. Nitrogen has been established as the offset currency and a price has been determined based on the cost of constructing regional wetlands. When a plan of subdivision is referred to Melbourne Water the developer has the option of meeting best practice objectives for nitrogen (45% reduction in typical annual load) within the development or paying an offset to Melbourne Water. The strategy addresses previous inconsistent application of stormwater quality standards and provides a mechanism to reward developers who have been implementing Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD).

Keywords:

• Offsets
• water sensitive urban design
• best practice stormwater objectives
• total nitrogen
• urban development
• Port Phillip Bay
• drainage schemes
• subdivisions

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sharyn RossRakesh

Sharyn has worked in river health for the past 10 years and is currently a Program Leader within the Stormwater Quality team at Melbourne Water. She completed a masters degree in urban stream ecology and geomorphology in the late nineties whilst working for the Cooperative Research Centre for Catchment Hydrology. In addition to a number of roles at Melbourne Water over the last six years, including waterway monitoring, geomorphology studies and scoping waterway restoration projects, she oversaw the implementation of a Stormwater Offsets Strategy.

Matt Francey

Matt Francey is the Team Leader of the Stormwater Quality Team at Melbourne Water. Much of his role involves working with local government to lessen the impacts of urban runoff on waterways. He is also responsible for planning Melbourne Water’s program for reducing pollution loads to Port Phillip Bay from urban runoff, and has a large role in working with the development industry to improve stormwater management. In addition he is a PhD student at Monash University looking at the short term modelling of stormwater pollutants and is the deputy industry leader of the urban program at the eWater Cooperative Research Centre.

Chris Chesterfield

Chris Chesterfield has worked for 20 years on water and environmental issues for the State Government of Victoria. He is currently General Manager of the Waterways Group at Melbourne Water which manages water quality, floodplains and waterways across a region of 13,000 km² and four million people. Chris has played a key role in improving the environmental management of urban stormwater in Melbourne and championing water sensitive urban design.