Upcoming Events
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On behalf of the Conference Committee, we are pleased to announce that the 2015 Stormwater Queensland Conference will be held on Wednesday, 15th and Thursday, 16th July, with a Technical Tour to be held on Friday, 17th July. The two-day Conference will be held at The Armitage Centre, Empire Theatre in Toowoomba.
In recent years, more sustainable water management has been a key focus of the ‘Garden City’. In 2009, the city’s water supply was at an all-time low of 7.7%, leading to major water restrictions, a proposed (and subsequently rejected) indirect potable re-use scheme, and the construction of a $187 Million pipeline from Wivenhoe Dam. In January 2011, however, the city and surrounding areas were devastated by flash flooding.
With significant growth predicted in the region, Toowoomba Regional Council is committed to managing its water cycle more sustainably, including the extreme events. Council’s goals are to “plan and deliver safe and effective stormwater management outcomes and a flood resilient region” and “advance water use efficiency and water cycle innovation throughout the region” (Toowoomba Regional Council Corporate Plan, 2014-19).
This Conference provides a unique opportunity to bring together the best and brightest minds within the stormwater industry in Queensland (and beyond) to share and gain knowledge, experience and expertise – and build strong collaborative partnerships.
As in past years, we aim to build a strong conference program that will provide an opportunity for delegates to learn from the experience of others on a broad range of topics, and continue to provide these stormwater professionals with an insight into the key factors that have resulted in successful urban water management projects across Queensland.
If you would like to receive further information about the 2015 Stormwater Queensland Conference, please contact GEMS Event Management on +61 2 9744 5252.
The Report Card provides an annual assessment of the pressures facing our waterways, their current environmental condition (A-F grade), and the level of social and economic benefit the waterways provide to local communities (1-5 star rating).
As their organisation transitions into the new entity Healthy Waterways and Catchments, they have leveraged the combined skills and resources of Healthy Waterways and SEQ Catchments to further build upon their holistic monitoring and reporting approach. This includes working with the Council of Mayors to assess the risks to environmental values in each sub catchment. A component of this assessment will be released through the 2016 Report Card, identifying the sub catchments in most need of action to reduce sediment pollution.
To release the results, four launch events will be held simultaneously across South East Queensland.
Central Launch
Host: Healthy Waterways and Catchments
Venue: Riverlife Centre – Naval Stores, Lower River Terrace, Kangaroo Point, Brisbane
Northern Launch
Host: Unitywater
Venue: Mooloolaba Yacht Club, 33-45 Parkyn Parade, Mooloolaba QLD 4557
Western Launch
Host: Somerset Regional Council
Venue: Kilcoy Information Centre, 41 Hope St, next to Yowie Park, Kilcoy, QLD 4515
Southern Launch
Host: Scenic Rim Regional Council
Venue: Tamborine Rainforest Skywalk, 333 Geissmann Dr, Mt Tamborine QLD 4272
For more information and/or to register your attendance, head over to http://healthywaterways.org/eventscalendar . You don’t want to miss this one!
Effective land and water management requires a holistic approach across catchments and the development cycle. But it also throws up challenges – grey areas – that require new or different ways of thinking.
For that reason, Stormwater Queensland (SQ) and the International Erosion Control Association (IECA) Australasia have come together for a joint conference in 2017 to recognise the common values and purpose they share in effective land, stormwater and waterway management:
All soil and water professionals are invited to join us in beautiful Brisbane in October 2017. The conference will bring together practitioners, academics, suppliers, asset owners and students in a common forum to engage, collaborate, discuss and dive headfirst into the grey areas of land and water management.
With so many established concepts and approaches for land and water management, this conference will explore the grey areas, the subtleties that exist within those approaches that can trip us up or mean the difference between success and failure. We’ll look at emerging technologies, established approaches, and will never discount embracing the old ways; what can we learn from past mistakes and how can we work smarter to manage our land and water resources?
This conference aims to celebrate our successes, explore new challenges, encourage better integration of soil and water management, and promote engineering and science as complimentary disciplines.
This conference effectively unites two organisations that are in the business of managing stormwater quality and quantity at various stages of development, from design to construction and on to operation.
The conference will include keynote speakers, plenary sessions, open discussion forums, panel sessions, technical workshops, exhibitions and a comprehensive social program.
With SQ and IECA coming together for this conference, it is sure to be a fun, vibrant, thought-provoking event that will expand delegates’ thinking and knowledge while challenging them to investigate the nuanced grey areas of land and water management.
We look forward to seeing you in Brisbane in October 2017!
Avoid disappointment and register today HERE
franc.sydney 2022 is powered by Stormwater NSW and is all about challenging the rationality of current practices and perceptions of urban stormwater and its management. It is a community of individuals and organisations who are, in some way, connected to or effected by urban stormwater and are passionate about changing the way the industry operates to become more future-focused, resilient, adaptive and connected.
The stormwater industry has, for decades, tried to shift the balance between vested interests and the greater good, but it has become clear that it can’t do this alone. So franc.sydney 2022 brings together individuals from beyond stormwater to tackle this issue together. Our members include professionals, scientists, academics, researchers and advocates that recognise the need for change, the need to put the long-term prosperity of the health of our waterways, emissions and sustainable development above short-term political and financial interests. Most importantly, we bring these people together to help us all speak with one voice.
And it all begins by having ‘franc’ discussions.
This conference has a total of seventeen (17) guest speakers (up from the traditional four), and will include a range of new topics including:
- How to develop resilient communities.
- The relationship between the environment and human health.
- Finding ways to help protect our aquatic environment and conserve biodiversity; and
Conversations between scientists, planners, hydrologists, environmentalists and academics to ensure we are all on the ‘same page’ going forward.
Franc.Sydney has also moved to become a hybrid event giving everyone the opportunity to be a part of franc either in person or from the comfort of your own home. In-person and virtual registrations are exchangeable at the rate you paid (early bird, standard) if you are to change your mind closer to the date.