Water Use and Reuse Stream Projects
Development of the Southern River (WA) Integrated
Catchment Strategy
Introduction
Expansion of the Perth Metropolitan area and
urbanisation of greenfield sites poses substantial
environmental challenges. One of fastest developing
regions of the metropolitan area is the Southern
River catchment where urban expansion is challenged
by many environmental issues, including a high
groundwater table with extensive waterlogging
during wet seasons; relatively low permeability
of the Superficial Aquifer; high nutrient export
rate arising from current and historical land use;
and the requirements for maintenance of existing
environmentally sensitive wetlands. Potential increase
in nutrient export from the urbanized catchment developments
may pose an additional risk to the Swan-Canning Estuary,
which already suffering from euthrophication.
The Southern River project is considered to
be a case-study within the CSIRO Water for Healthy
Country project Swan Future. The goal
of the project is to develop the strategy
for integrated catchment management within Swan
River catchment to support urbanisation,
quantifying the impacts of catchment urbanisation
on the environment and to manage the catchment
water resource in content of the principle “no-outdoor-use-of-potable-water”.
 Objectives/Scope
The project aims to facilitate sustainable
urban development, water management and optimal
water use/reuse, minimising the nutrient losses
to surface water, preventing additional euthrophication
in the Canning-Swan River system and minimising
impact of the future development on the local
ecosystem (such as wetlands).
The ultimate project goal is to develop a discission
support system to facilitate an integrated management
of the environmental and urban water systems.
The project aims to provide urban, industrial
and regulatory clients with science-based solutions
to the key components of modern city water management:
water recycling, source protection, and the protection
of downstream waters.
Scope of this project includes NRM, catchment
management, hydrology, hydrogeology, aquatic
ecology, systems modelling, contaminants/nutrient
pathways, water reuse, stormwater management,
urban water systems, and drainage.
Activities
- Monitoring network design for evaluation
of the influence of urban development on flow
and quality of groundwater and surface water
systems.
- Database development and handling to support
data acquisition, interpretation and presentation
- Local and city-wide modelling reflecting
the system approach to urban catchment management
based on integration between the environmental
systems and their interaction with urban
infrastructures.
- Urban water quality and reuse, adaptation
of non-potable (groundwater/stormwater/treated
wastewater) but fit-for-purpose water use to
reduce the pressure on depleting water resources.
This includes
- No potable water use outside homes and
buildings,
- Minimising discharge of pollutants from
shallow groundwater to intersection waterways
or drains,
- Maintaining or restoring desirable environmental
flows and hydro-periods, water quality
and habitat, and
- Reduce average annual load of stormwater
pollutants.
- Public acceptance of alternative urban water
management as a critical success factor for
the widespread implementation of secondary
fit-for-purpose water supplies.
Key Staff
Simon
Toze, Olga Barron, Tony
Barr, Daniel
Pollock, Warrick
Dawes, Simon Higginson, Trish
Lambert, Deborah Reed, Matt Taylor
Students: Renard Prevoo, Kristy Ferguson, Catriona
Okely
Partners
CSIRO National Flagship Water for Healthy
Country, Western Australia Premiers Water Foundation,
Water Corporation, Department of Planning and
Infrastructure, Western Australia Department
of Water, WALIS, Armadale Redevelopment Authority,
Local Government (City of Armadale and City of
Gosnells), GHD consultants, JDA consultants,
eWater CRC.
Timeline
2004 – 2008
Links (external)
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