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
Stormwater Queensland will hold its Annual General Meeting for all members on Thursday, 29th September, 2016 at BMT WBM, Level 8, 200 Creek Street, Brisbane from 3.00 pm until 4.00 pm.
Please click on the links below to display the documents related to the 2016 Annual General Meeting.
- To view the Minutes from the 2015 Annual General Meeting, click here
- To view the Notice of the 2016 Stormwater Queensland AGM and Proxy Form, click here
If you are unable to attend the Annual General Meeting, it would be appreciated if you could provide us with your proxy in order to ensure a quorum of members. A current list of committee members can be found on the Committee page of the website, however you are able to give your proxy to anyone who is a current financial member of Stormwater Queensland. Click here to download a proxy form
Nominations for positions management committee for 2016/17 are now closed. To view the nominations received please visit the AGM page.
For further information please contact the Association Secretariat at admin@stormwaterqueensland.asn.au or phone (07) 3211 4686.
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
Sponsored by;
Time: 8.30am for a 9.00am start and finishing with lunch from 12.30pm
The commencement of the new Planning Act in mid-2017 has been a driver for the Department of Infrastructure, Local Government & Planning (DILGP) to review how State interests are expressed in the planning system. In November 2016, DILGP released consultation drafts of theState Planning Policy (SPP), the State Development Assessment Provisions and the Planning Regulation. These drafts can be downloaded from this website. The draft SPP includes some important changes to the State interest – water quality.
The changes associated with the policy are likely to have some noteworthy implications for urban development, communities and the environment.
Stormwater Queensland is hosting a forum to assist in understanding how the Draft SPP proposes to change regulatory requirements for stormwater quality management.
The event is recommended for those involved in urban stormwater planning, policy or development. Submissions on the draft SPP close 10 February 2017 so the Forum is also recommended for any person or organisation considering making a submission on the water quality aspects of the policy.
An expert panel from a broad cross section of the industry has been convened for this event to provide different perspectives on the policy. The panel will include a range of speakers including:
Sponsored by;
Time: 8.30am for a 9.00am start (concluding with lunch from 12.30pm)
As part of any development approval, local governments request developers to meet stringent stormwater quality requirements before allowing stormwater to discharge to local receiving waterways or adjoining public stormwater infrastructure. For over a decade now, these requirements have been met by use of various types of proprietary and non-proprietary stormwater treatment devices or systems, including Gross Pollutant Traps, Oil and Silt Arresters, Sediment Fore-Bays, Trash Racks, Litter Baskets, Sediment Ponds, Swales and Bio-Retention Systems, etc. All of these systems need maintenance in order to consistently meet the quality requirements of their design. When reflecting on our efforts in stormwater quality improvement over the last decade, a number of important questions arise, including:
- Are these systems, both public and privately owned, being maintained according to manufacturer specifications and/or design guidelines?
- Who is responsible for maintaining these systems? How is local government responsible for publicly owned assets? What obligations do private asset owners have to maintain these assets?
- What regulatory or incentive frameworks are currently in place to ensure these assets are maintained? What regulatory or incentive frameworks could be considered in the future?
- How does local government keep a track of these assets? Do they know where they are located? How much data or information do they have?
- How do they use this data or information? How do they store it? Who is responsible for it?
- To what extent are systems owned by private entities, other than local governments, being maintained?
Stormwater Queensland is hosting a forum to assist in understanding the management situation for public and privately owned systems and to find answers to the above. The event is recommended for those involved in urban stormwater planning, policy or development, asset management and maintenance. An expert panel from a broad cross section of the industry is being convened for this event to provide different perspectives on this topic.
An expert panel from a broad cross section of the industry has been convened for this event to provide different perspectives on this topic including;
- Claire McAsh – Senior Environmental Engineer, City of Gold Coast
- Russell Cadman – WSUD Compliance Officer, Blacktown City Council, NSW
- Aaron Marmara – Operations Supervisor, Cleanaway
- Mark Bibby – General Manager, Regen Australia
- Jack Mullaly – Crazed Founder, Ideanthro
There are some fantastic examples from the UK and other parts of the world that use a naturalistic approach to floodplain management. The question is, however, can these types of techniques be practically applied in SEQ? Given that the local climate and other components are vastly different to these areas, will these approaches be feasible and if so to what degree and how would they be best used?
Recent discussions within some organisations have pinned hopes on naturalistic floodplain management as “the answer” to several common issues, which makes it well worth considering. However, there are unresolved issues regarding the importance of revegetation weighed against the potential for increased flood levels upstream (and potential decreased flood levels downstream) also the quantification measurement and modelling of such approaches, climate, storage, practicality as well as the cost of implementation.
Key items that will be discussed include:
- Applying Natural Floodplain Management Techniques in Queensland. What is the likelihood for success?
- Lessons learned from the UK on Natural Floodplain Management. Application of natural techniques should as floodplain reengagement, revegetation, infiltration and temporary storage through leaky weirs etc.
- Discussion surrounding the future Bremer River Catchment Study and the opportunities for integrated water approaches
- Application of revegetation etc in Bremer/Lockyer systems and possible implications for the regional area.
- The power of using flood mitigation as a mechanism to get other benefits (water quality, bank stabilisation, more trees in the ground)
- Hurdles such as property resumptions, increasing flooding upstream whilst benefiting downstream property, lack of legislation power to enable greater community good and working with landowners on useable land.
- Previous case studies and a quick look at what Ipswich is looking at for a natural floodplain management pilot project
Stormwater Queensland is hosting a lunchtime presentation to facilitate a transfer of ideas and assist in understanding a natural floodplain management approach.
Phil Smith (Waterways Health Officer) and Adam Berry (Floodplain Management Engineer) from Ipswich City Council will be co-presenting and will provide time at the end for discussion/questions and answers.
Winter School
sponsored by;
Date: 9, 10 and 11 August 2017
Time: 8.30am – 5.00pm each day
Venue: GHD, Level 8, 145 Ann Street, Brisbane
Price: $450 (p/workshop, p/day) SQ members; $550 (p/workshop, p/day) non-members
Space is Limited! Register today
Every year, Stormwater Queensland is proud to hold its annual “Winter School”. What is Winter School you might ask? Well, for those of you who have attended previously, the Winter School is a fantastic chance for all to brush-up on their stormwater management skills and possibly learn a thing or two, including updates on new or revised industry methods and applications. You get to learn one-on-one with industry experts and network with others in various stormwater management disciplines at the same time.
This year we are holding three full-days of workshops. These workshops are:
● DAY 1 – HEC-RAS 2D
This one day workshop is designed for those looking to make their first step into the 2D modeling world, along with seasoned professionals looking for a refresh on up to date modern techniques.
Key aspects covered by the course:
- Introduction to HecRas
- Key input parameters for 2D modeling
- Modeling of real life case studies
This course will be run by Krey Price. Krey is a civil engineer and project manager with international experience in water resources. He is engaged with computational modeling, engineering design, and project management for flood mitigation, mine rehabilitation, river and wetland restoration, Stormwater management and catchment assessment projects.
● DAY 2 – ARR Workshop – Neil Collins and Martin Giles
This one day workshop is set to cover off on one of the biggest changes to the Stormwater Industry in 30 years – ARR 2016.
Key points that will be covered in this one day workshop.
Overview of ARR16
- Key changes 87 vs. 16
- How to put together a Stormwater design or flood study using ARR16 (key emphasis on the new temporal patterns and ensemble storms)
- Key focus on Chapter 9: Urban Development
This course will be run by Martin Giles. Martin has 28 years’ experience, specializing in hydraulic and environmental investigations. Modeling work undertaken by Martin has included complex floodplain systems and the application of dynamic modeling to urban Stormwater design.
● DAY 3 – Stream Management – Misko Ivezich
This one day workshop will take you down the journey of stream management (fluvial geomorphology). This course will give designers the information and experience required to make informed design decisions that will result in a positive environmental outcome
The key concepts covered by this course:
- Fundamentals of Fluvial Geomorphology (including case studies)
- Fundamentals on waterway management
- Real life case study discussion
This course will be run by Misko Ivezich. Misko is an environmental engineer with core interests and skills in the complex interactions between hydrology, hydraulics and fluvial geomorphology. Misko has strong geomorphic field assessment skills having inspected hundreds of waterways across eastern Australia.
Thanks to our host and sponsor we have been able to reduce the cost so to ensure you receive a valuable and rewarding participation.
Costs per workshop, per day are:
● $450 SQ Members (inc GST)
● $550 Non-Members (inc GST)
Discounts Apply
Book 2 days – $50 off first day
Book 3 days – $100 off first day
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
Stormwater Queensland will hold its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Thursday 12 October 2017 at 12.30pm at the Pullman Brisbane King George Square (Kennedy Room), Ann & Roma Streets, Brisbane.
The AGM papers can be downloaded here;
If you are not able to attend the AGM, please exercise your voting rights by returning the completed Proxy Form.
Members are invited to consider nominating for a position on the Stormwater Queensland 2017-2018 Management Committee. Stormwater Queensland are seeking committee members that are eager and enthusiastic to advance the stormwater industry and who want to play an active role in setting the direction of the Association and its activities. Participation on the Committee is also of personal benefit, providing professional development and networking opportunities. The nomination form is attached – please be sure to include a 100 word professional profile and statement on what you believe you can add to the committee. Note: Nominations close COBThursday, 28 September 2017.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the Stormwater Queensland Secretariat contacts.
