Upcoming Events
Stormwater Australia invites you to attend STORMWATER 2016, the 4th National Conference convened by Stormwater Australia, to be held from Monday, 29th August to Friday, 2nd September, 2016 in Surfers Paradise, Queensland.
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 66% 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 manage our resource and 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.
The modern stormwater industry seeks to balance traditional issues with emerging priorities which are being placed on our infrastructure. Practitioners are experienced in working at the coal face, often pragmatically dealing with issues in a complex environment where policy requirements are often unclear, but the demand for good outcomes and multiple benefits are not. The growing need to work in multidisciplinary teams, to lead and influence, to understand and assimilate different points of view and technical requirements, will be core skills required in the future.
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 seeing new business models that empower greater choice. 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. 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.
For all enquiries and registrations please visit – www.stormwater2016.com.au
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!
River Basin Management Society invite you to attend:
A Discussion on the 2016 Healthy Waterways and Catchments Report Card
“Please join us for a conversation with Dr Emily Saeck, Senior Scientist with Health Waterways and Catchments, to discuss the results of the 2016 Report Card. 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). This is the second year of the newly evolved Report Card, which provides a deeper understanding of the current pressures, benefits we receive, and importantly what needs to be done to protect and improve our waterways.
Please visit the Healthy Waterways and Catchments website to view the Report Card results after the launch on 16 November: http://healthywaterways.org/report-card”
To Register your attendance – click here
The SQ Management Committee invites all members, and potential members, to attend the 2016 End of Year Celebration event. The event is an opportunity for members to provide feedback and ideas to the committee on 2017 event topics/speakers and new initiatives, and to express your interest in participating in a sub-committee next year.
The program for the evening will also include a short presentation from Mike Smith about “When Government Says “No” at Christmas”. Mike Smith is a National Director of Stormwater Australia, and the founder of Ethical Consulting Services, a consultancy all about communications – lobbying, government relations, campaigning, marketing and governance. He is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and has been a Company Secretary, and Chief Executive. He’s worked at UQ as a lecturer/course coordinator on government policy-making; he’s also lectured on government relations, governance, board effectiveness, elections and campaigning, as well as developing and delivering customised training courses for business, community organisations, university students, and to professional conferences. His main recreational interest is elections, and he’s been a volunteer in five US Presidential campaigns, as well as managing and mentoring many Australian campaigns and candidates.
If you are able to join us on the 13th, please RSVP via return email by COB 6 December 2016 so as we know numbers for catering.
The Management Committee looks forward to meeting many members for an enjoyable evening.
Brad Dalrymple
President
Stormwater Queensland
Do you find the your work is affecting your mental health? Was that 20th drainage re-design one too many? Do you feel as though your clients still don’t care about water quality outcomes, even in 2022?
Come along to this panel discussion to hear from some diverse voices who’ve been there and seen that. This event aims to proactively review the pressures of mental health, uniquely to stormwater professionals, and how we can work together to overcome them as an industry.
This free 1-hour webinar is hosted by Stormwater Queensland and will include presentations, followed by Q&A with attendees.
Proof of CPD will be provided to attendees upon request to Stormwater Queensland.
Bioretention systems (also called biofiltration systems, biofilters, bioretention basins, bioretention systems, bioswales and raingardens) are one of the most commonly applies asset types to assist urban areas in Queensland and elsewhere to be more ‘water sensitive’.
In this webinar, Logan City Council’s WSUD Technical Officer, Jonas Larsen will explain, in true multidisciplinary fashion, the usefulness of ecological theory and other biological processes in improving the establishment and performance of bioretention systems.
This webinar will include a short (approximately 20-minute) presentation, followed by Q&A with attendees. Proof of CPD can be provided to attendees upon request.
Save the Date for the 2023 IECA Australasia Conference 1 – 3 November, 2023 at Noosa. This conference will feature regional training, an expo hall to catch up on the latest in erosion control and stormwater management products and networking opportunities for industry professionals. Hosted by IECA Australasia, with Stormwater Queensland as a supporting partner, the conference will be a key industry event in the region.
– See you all tonight 6:30pm @ the Barrel Hall, Felons –
Calling all stormwater professionals, engineers, researchers, and enthusiasts! You are cordially invited to a captivating evening of networking at our New Year, New Beginnings 2024 casual drinks event. Connect with like-minded individuals from the stormwater industry, exchange ideas, and forge new collaborations.
In particular, we welcome early career professionals to join us and seize the opportunity to network, connect, and learn from experienced stormwater gurus.
Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity to mingle with industry leaders, make lasting connections, and advance your career in stormwater management.
A bar tab for non-alcoholic drinks will be provided.
The event is proudly sponsored by TRUE GRID.
Tickets Available through Humanitix
This is the decade of change. With unprecedented and mutually reinforcing challenges of climate change, flooding, urbanisation and waterway pollution, the status quo in stormwater is clearly unsustainable. Stormwater Queensland invite you to hear and discuss ‘Bolder Goals for Stormwater’.
This year’s event will be bigger and bolder than last year. We have some excellent speakers, great food, opportunity for socialising and networking, as well as the annual KAHOOT stormwater competition.
Speakers include:
- Keynote Speaker – Prof. Ana Deletic – QUT Faculty of Engineering
- Kelen Marczak Polli – Arup
- Teneale Jeffrey – Early Stormwater Professional of the Year
- Kylie Drapala – Logan City Council
- Sean Quilty – Quilty Engineering Hub
This event is designed for but not limited to:
• Stormwater Professionals
• Landscape Architects
• Urban Designers
• Economists
• Local Government
• Developers
Ticket price includes dinner.
Tickets available through Humanitix $105 – $155 AUD + BF
Gold Sponsor
Everhard Industries is an Australian family-owned manufacturer of Drainage, Wastewater and Environmental solutions for residential and commercial applications. In addition to our extensive drainage range, we are also the market leader in Laundry Units and Sinks for the home. Back in 1926, Everhard pioneered the original concrete laundry tub in Queensland. Using environmentally conscious materials and sustainable manufacturing techniques, our products are designed for Australian homes and Australian conditions, working to conserve the environment for the future.
As the Stormwater Industry gathers for its first National Conference following COVID19 it is clear that the world has changed, and we are an integrated part of that change. Technology has leapt forward in a significant way. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now identifying and counting gross pollutants in stormwater. Remote monitoring of floods, structures and community alerts have become a widespread, standard Best Practice. DNA testing in waterways can now identify if a platypus is nearby – giving a rapid ecosystem health assessment! And Mother Nature has been updating the Intensity Frequency Distributions for Far North Queensland. In this era of rapid change, however, Regulation has struggled to keep pace with legal challenges arising for businesses that have suddenly found themselves operating outside their Licence conditions.
SET 2024 provides an opportunity for the sharing of knowledge in these overlapping areas where stormwater influences the environment, where technology improves our understanding of stormwater and environment, where gaps in environment knowledge could be measured and filled by technology. The National Conference is a collaboration of researchers, designers, scientists, engineers, legal professionals, ecologists, community, modellers, government and technology providers. It gives space for new research findings, and innovation in practice. It encourages both academic and practitioner/industry presentations, with peer-reviewed papers being eligible for publication in an international journal following the Conference. It hosts Exhibitors from stormwater, environment and technology (and others) to open our eyes to the possibilities ahead.
SET 2024, as the National Conference, is deliberately different. Delegates don’t have to be a traditional “stormie”. Conference themes include environmental law, policy, community resilience, IoT, and ecosystem processes, as well as erosion control, urban drainage, water sensitive urban design, nature-based solutions, modelling, water quantity and quality. The world is more connected than ever before, and collaboration between disciplines is the way forward. If you have something to share via paper and presentation, please submit your abstract via the Portal. If you are interested to learn from the best in their field, join us in Brisbane, QLD, Australia on 8-11th October 2024
For more information please visit the conference website here.
Key Dates
Registration opens: February 2024
Early Bird close: Tuesday23 July 2024
Conference Dates: 8 – 11th October 2024
