Stormwater Australia invites you to participate in STORMWATER 2016, the 4th National Conference convened by Stormwater Australia, to be held from Monday, 29th August to Friday, 2nd September, 2016 at the Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort and Spa, Queensland.  The theme for STORMWATER 2016 is “Rising to the Challenge”.

In 2009, the United Nations reported that more than half the world’s population lived in urban centres. This proportion is set to increase to 80% by 2050, when it is estimated that city dwellers will live and share their neighbourhoods with an additional 2.5 billion people.  As our cities grow and evolve, it is imperative that we carefully manage our natural resources to ensure they continue to provide clean, healthy environments for ourselves and the next generation. Access to adequate supplies of safe and fit-for-purpose water will be increasingly important to meet the needs of a growing population, while the responsible management of runoff from both increasing sprawl and density in existing urban areas will be needed to increase our resilience to natural disasters such as flood and heat waves, and to avoid further environmental and social degradation.

Challenge and change brings opportunity.  Fiscal constraints are an ever present reality.  New and emerging technologies are developed to provide technical solutions.  Increasingly we are looking to solve nexus issues around water, energy and food.  In an increasingly connected world, information has a new currency to support decision making and engagement with community and as economies around the world transition to make better use of all this knowledge there is potential to develop new markets and trade opportunities.

The ‘Rising to the Challenge’ Conference will reach out beyond our core industry practitioners to engage with a broader group of committed and talented people who will all need to work together to develop the solutions of the future.  Stormwater Australia invites you and your colleagues from all disciplines and experiences to participate in what we anticipate to be an exciting and engaging Conference that builds upon earlier successes, inspires participants and provide opportunities for collaboration and knowledge sharing.

To download the Call for Abstracts Information Kit or to submit a Conference abstract, visit:  www.stormwater2016.com.au/call-for-abstracts/