But it isn’t, despite incentives and policies to encourage it. So, what are the barriers to creating an integrated water design solution? Plus 3 actions to change how urban water is managed.
Read MoreRead about the work Wave did with Ku-ring-gai Council on the water sensitive city strategy targets and Water Sensitive City Index review.
Read MoreI spent the morning at a residential house in Boroondara (eastern suburbs of Melbourne), talking about the potential to create the most water sensitive house in Melbourne (big call I know!).
Already the owner has a 26,000 litre tank that captures runoff from the entire house, a greywater system, an bund to capture overland flows, and an irrigation system across the whole site (but not always in operation).
We spent some time going through how to maximise every single drop of rainfall, reduce overland flows, increase infiltration, increase evapotranspiration, support the veggie patch, plant more natives and fruit trees, and the creation of a new ephemeral wetland.
We mapped out a plan for:
A new leaky tank drip fed line from the 26,000 litre tank
Ephemeral wetland fed from overflow
Adjusted sump pump to extract more water from pit that collects all roof runoff
Reconfigure of greywater to act as a back up for tank water
Reconfigure of greywater to add a natural filter bed at source prior to gravity fed irrigation
Two new infiltration trenches
One new raingarden for overflow from stormwater pit
A maintenance regime
The stormwater on this property will then virtually never leave via a pipe!
What I think is interesting is that we were able to identify some small but very significant issues to improve the performance of this household system. For example the stormwater sump that was collecting all runoff from the house and pumping to the tank, had a lot of standing water due to the location of the float. I think we could harvest 25% more water just by adjusting this float.
What I found particularly inspiring is that this whole project wasn’t driven by any compliance or requirement to meet planning controls. Just a passionate and energetic home owner doing their bit!
Will hope to revisit during construction and verify this is on track to be the most water sensitive house :)
Sustainable water and energy systems are only as good as they are maintained.
We've launched Wave Maintenance, in partnership with two other directors, and look forward to working with you on new maintenance ventures.
This is a series of blogs to reflect on what we need to create better cities, and specifically ones that are smarter with water and better for people. In 2009 I went on a study tour to learn more about 'water sensitive cities'. As a group we wrote a report titled 'Good ideas for a water sensitive city'. We came up with these based on visiting 14 cities across Europe and Singapore.
One of the ideas was to "City models – the big picture" (of a total of 83 ideas). This particular idea stemmed from a trip to Hamburg and Wilhelmsburg Island. They built a 4 metre by 6 metre model of the new suburb!
I still find today that this idea more than most encourages people to get involved and have a look at the potential of a place - to see it differently.
For further info see the whole report at this link: http://www.waveconsulting.com.au/publications/
One of the ideas was to "City models – the big picture" (of a total of 83 ideas). This particular idea stemmed from a trip to Sheffield. At Manor Fields Park they spent a lot of time working with the residents when they were redesigning and activating a park - and knew that they needed to take residents on the journey to see the benefits of this new 'water sensitive' design.
Today, in hindsight, I think this idea is often missed - as we race through projects hoping to get them built!
For further info see the whole report at this link: http://www.waveconsulting.com.au/publications/
One of the ideas was to "City models – the big picture" (of a total of 83 ideas). This particular idea stemmed from a trip to Rotterdam, when they were developing their 'Rotterdam Climate Initiative'. The engagement was critical to also building political support to implement the plan.
Today, in hindsight, I think this idea is closely aligned to the March for Science and Earth Hour type of initiatives. They rely on building wide spread community support to make it easier for politicians to take action.
For further info see the whole report at this link: http://www.waveconsulting.com.au/publications/
One of the ideas was to "City models – the big picture" (of a total of 83 ideas). This particular idea stemmed from a trip to Manchester and the Mersey Basin Campaign. They created a podcast that was linked to signage along the waterways and canals - telling a story of the history of the place and the river and engaging people in a different way.
Today, in hindsight, I think this idea is well ahead of its time. We see more and more digital comms strategies looking for the social media and 'iPhone' type of engagement strategy.
For further info see the whole report at this link: http://www.waveconsulting.com.au/publications/
One of the ideas was to "Make community involvement hands-on and fun" (of a total of 83 ideas). This particular idea stemmed from a trip to Sheffield (UK). In this development the Council and other professionals ran sessions to allow the community to design an update to the park using clay models, wool and watercress. They models must have looked good as the Council rebuilt the park with many new water sensitive features.
Today it seems we sometimes to this type of engagement but more often than not don't. We rely on online surveys and social media feedback, so perhaps we should try out some model making and have some more fun!
For further info see the whole report at this link: http://www.waveconsulting.com.au/publications/
One of the ideas was to "Bring stormwater to the surface" (of a total of 83 ideas). This particular idea stemmed from a trip to Amsterdam and Hamburg. This idea is really about creating visible infrastructure, which a) helps in providing passive irrigation opportunities and b) creates a city that is more aware of what happens to water when it rains.
Today, in hindsight, I think this idea is exactly what hundreds of practitioners have been working on for decades in the form of water sensitive urban design. It is still relevant, and perhaps with a drier client and need for cooler urban landscapes, more important.
For further info see the whole report at this link: http://www.waveconsulting.com.au/publications/
One of the ideas was to "Amenity not just functionality" (of a total of 83 ideas). This particular idea stemmed from a trip to Enschede (Netherlands). In rebuilding the city after a large explosion, they explicitly chose to engage a range of different architects to deliberately encourage a range of different buildings and amenity for the streets and town.
Today, in hindsight, I think this idea is great, and could be said to be missing from much of the new development completed in Australia - i.e. the same townhouses rolled out on every block you see being redeveloped.
For further info see the whole report at this link: http://www.waveconsulting.com.au/publications/
One of the ideas was to "Water information for all" (of a total of 83 ideas). This particular idea stemmed from a trip to Zaragoza, who retrofitted an old church to create a physical centre to house and promote water in the city. The building itself was amazing, and it was centrally located which would help in attracting people too. I don't know how well visited it is by the locals verses visitors.
Today, in hindsight, I think this idea is better suited to be set up as a sustainable house / or demonstration sustainable city type of centre, not just a water centre.
For further info see the whole report at this link: http://www.waveconsulting.com.au/publications/
One of the ideas was to "Open water treatment sites to the public" (of a total of 83 ideas). This particular idea stemmed from a trip to Singapore. At a place called Marina Barrage the whole suburb drains into a harbour area that is separated from the ocean, and the water collected in the harbour is filtered through a treatment plant that is open to the public.
Today, in hindsight, I think this idea is quite innovative and should be promoted more and more. In Melbourne there is a new Edithvale-Seaford Wetland Education Centre which is next to the treatment plant, and attempts to raise awareness and celebrate all things water. I would like to acknowledge Andrew Allan and Leigh Holmes for their contribution and passion for this idea.
For further info see the whole report at this link: http://www.waveconsulting.com.au/publications/
One of the ideas was to "Engage with young people" (of a total of 83 ideas). This particular idea stemmed from a trip to Hamburg, where a major redevelopment of the Wilhelmsburg Island included a special engagement exercise to engage with young people. The driver was that a) there will be a large part of the community in this age bracket so they should be consulted in terms of designing this new part of the city, and b) this sector can be quite creative and innovative in thinking about how to improve city plans and designs.
Today, in hindsight, I think this idea was ahead of its time, as I notice more and more engagement and 'codesign' projects that target and look to engage youth sectors in city and master planning projects.
For further info see the whole report at this link: http://www.waveconsulting.com.au/publications/
One of the ideas was to "Share stories to build unity and confidence" (of a total of 83 ideas). We came up with these based on visiting 14 cities across Europe and Singapore. This particular idea stemmed from a trip to Enschede (Netherlands). It is really an idea that focuses on how communities recover from extreme events (and in this case it is an exploding fireworks factory that decimated the town).
I think this idea is slightly left field from water management, but does help us in thinking of how we best respond to water related extreme events: floods, storms, drought, water quality scares, pollution events. It is something that is very useful the next time a city has experienced an extreme event and as a society and recovery agencies we ponder how best to acknowledge and learn from the event.
For further info see the whole report at this link: http://www.waveconsulting.com.au/publications/
One of the ideas was to "Use a fish tank to prove greywater isn’t fishy" (of a total of 83 ideas). This particular idea stemmed from a trip to Berlin in Germany. The idea is to include a fish tank, fed by treated greywater, as a visual demonstration of how well we can clean and reuse greywater. This is the actual fish tank we saw (and apologies for the focus of the shot!).
Today, in hindsight, I think this idea is very useful, particularly in high density and apartment buildings. We are often asked about the potential for greywater and blackwater, and I always think of this project in Berlin where they demonstrated in a very visual way how well the treatment process worked.
For further info see the whole report at this link: http://www.waveconsulting.com.au/publications/
One of the ideas was to "Develop a river aquarium" (of a total of 83 ideas). This particular idea stemmed from a trip to the Mersey River Campaign in the UK (Manchester).
Today, in hindsight, I think this idea is still very powerful. As cities embrace their rivers, daylight them, and also recognise the impact of sea levels and storms on cities (see news just in on storms in eastern USA), a river aquarium would have a dual function of raising awareness of what lives in the rivers and seas, as well as highlighting the close proximity of water and oceans to our homes.
For further info see the whole report at this link: http://www.waveconsulting.com.au/publications/
One of the ideas was to "Create a water mascot" (of a total of 83 ideas). This particular idea stemmed from a trip to Zaragoza in Spain. They used the mascot to create a more visual and fun way to communicate with residents in the city.
Today, in hindsight, I think this idea is fantastic and I wonder if it could have helped Cape Town in engaging with their citizens. The reports were that in Cape Town the campaign to get residents to save water was not as effective as the authorities would have liked.
For further info see the whole report at this link: http://www.waveconsulting.com.au/publications/
This next group of ideas are all about capacity, people and networks. Sometimes referred to as the softer side of management and policy. But as Cheryl Batagol says - just as important, or moreso!
I absolutely reject the concept of “soft skills”. I can’t tell you how often I have been told that my focus on organisational culture is about soft skills. Rubbish. Focus on organisational culture is about optimising organisational performance...anything but soft! https://t.co/9WYNk1IPvy
— Cheryl Batagol (@CherylBatagol) February 26, 2018
One of the ideas was to "Capacity building programs that train the trainer" (of a total of 83 ideas). This particular idea stemmed from a trip to Inwent in Germany.
Today, in hindsight, I think this idea is very similar to the Al Gore's 'Climate Reality Leaders' concept, where people would be trained to then share the message and train others. I haven't seen many actually work, but it is a good idea!
For further info see the whole report at this link: http://www.waveconsulting.com.au/publications/
One of the ideas was to "Allocate time for reflection " (of a total of 83 ideas). This particular idea stemmed from a trip to Inwent in Germany.
Today, in hindsight, I think this idea is almost exactly what we are posting here! Always good to stop and reflect on what you have done, what you are trying to do, and what you've learnt so far.
For further info see the whole report at this link: http://www.waveconsulting.com.au/publications/
One of the ideas was to "Create a water charter" (of a total of 83 ideas). This particular idea stemmed from a trip to Zaragoza in Spain.
Today, in hindsight, I think this idea is interesting but probably in today's terminology we'd refer to this concept as developing a city's water strategy and key principles. The IWA Cities of the Future network has done a lot of work on this topic and the key principles (or charter) for cities.
For further info see the whole report at this link: http://www.waveconsulting.com.au/publications/
One of the ideas was to "Develop and maintain informal networks" (of a total of 83 ideas). This particular idea stemmed from a discussion with Govert Geldof and Gerdrik Bruins (in Rotterdam, Netherlands). They told the story that their Climate Resilience Plan mostly happened because there were enough people in an informal network with passion to make it happen. And some political leaders that saw the merit in it too!
Today, in hindsight, I think this idea is very relevant, but perhaps we need to think about how we do that and how people that aren't naturally drawn to 'networking' and perhaps have a more introverted personality can be part of informal networks.
For further info see the whole report at this link: http://www.waveconsulting.com.au/publications/
One of the ideas was to "Form a competence network" (of a total of 83 ideas). This particular idea stemmed from a trip to Hamburg, where the water engineers saw a benefit in working on specific issues like heat recovery from sewers, with other professionals from other European cities. It is a model that has been around a while, and with the use of online forums and video-conferencing is becoming easier (though in some ways it is harder to see the wheat from the chaff online!).
Today, in hindsight, I think this idea is similar to a lot of the AWA networks / committees and Capacity Building programs around Australia. I would like to acknowledge Emily Phillips for her contribution and passion for this idea.
For further info see the whole report at this link: http://www.waveconsulting.com.au/publications/
One of the ideas was to "Export water knowledge" (of a total of 83 ideas). This particular idea stemmed from a trip to Zaragoza and their hosting of the Water Expo in 2008. A key part of that expo was encouraginig countries to think more and sharing and exporting their knowledge, for others to benefit from.
Today, in hindsight, I think this idea is a key part of what is driving the CRC Water Sensitive Cities to engage with industry and research groups around the world. It is also very topical in terms of Cape Town's water issues and what Australian cities learnt in the millennium drought. I would like to acknowledge Leigh Holmes for his contribution and passion for this idea.
For further info see the whole report at this link: http://www.waveconsulting.com.au/publications/
This particular idea stemmed from a trip to Rotterdam. Today, in hindsight, I think this idea is still very relevant, and has been a key to another movement in the climate network discipline known as C40. I think the key is really that each city isn't facing a unique problem - and by collaborating across a city network you are more likely to tackle these sort of wicked problems. Probably true moreso today than a decade ago!
I would like to acknowledge Leonie Duncan for her contribution and passion for this idea.
For further info see the whole report at this link: http://www.waveconsulting.com.au/publications/
New technologies need to be trialled and tested in order for them to be improved and optimised . With water sensitive urban design (WSUD), it is no different. Being an Early Adopter means you a play an invaluable role in this process. It also means encountering unexpected issues, as the new technologies are refined and mature.
Site tour of Inkerman Oasis, St Kilda.
In November 2017, we returned with ten other interested architects, water engineers and energy assessors to the Inkerman Oasis site in St Kilda, 15 years after its completion. The award-winning site received much acclaim for its innovative water recycling features, raising the bar for what could be achieved at the multi-residential scale. It included greywater recycling, with a four part treatment process (aeration tank, membrane bioreactor tank, chlorination, and UV disinfection). Stormwater was also harvested off the roofs, with primary treatment through a gross pollutant trap then biological filtration through 400m2 of on site wetlands.
Unfortunately, we arrived to learn that all of these features were now non-operational. All of the WSUD infrastructure had been switched off and is now bypassed.
It was disheartening to see such a substantial investment in integrated water management (IWM) infrastructure be entirely discarded. But in order to avoid this happening continually…
Where did it go wrong?
Why did the costs outweigh the savings?
How can we do it better?
In the case of Inkerman Oasis, it seems that an intensive maintenance regime was the crux of the problem. A four part treatment process for its greywater, means four separate systems to clean, maintain and replace parts for. Likewise, the gross pollutant traps for the stormwater management require regular cleaning. The out-of-sight nature of the infrastructure can mean that issues or maintenance requirements can be missed, causing larger problems (and costs) later. The relative cheapness of potable water compounds the issue, creating a difficult case for economically viable water infrastructure.
The previous wetlands, now regular garden beds.
Part of the currently non-operational grey water treatment system
WSUD assets are now mandatory in many new developments through local council clauses. What happens beyond the design phase however is independently decided. With the demands of keeping rates low and fears in regards to the unfamiliar complexity of the infrastructure, many owner's corporations elect to simply switch off part or all of the technology that the site has invested in.
In order for WSUD to be implemented effectively in developments, beyond the design phase, the maintenance needs to be straightforward and as efficient as possible. Moves towards digitalising systems and including sensors is a positive step in this direction. Simplifying processes as much as possible, while remaining within EPA public health guidelines, is essential.
It was very interesting to visit the Inkerman Oasis site and see where this pioneering WSUD project had landed. Thanks to building manager, Jarrad Hudson, for hosting us while we were there.
Thanks also to the City of Port Phillip, Inkerman Developments, South East Water and the rest of the project team for their groundbreaking work. Despite the fact that the infrastructure is not currently operational, the work that was achieved has contributed to making it easier for future developments to incorporate WSUD features, and the journey continues.
Josie McGushin.