Upcoming Events
Time : 5:30pm registration, 6pm start, 8pm finish
Queensland has recently introduced the single use plastic bag ban and is working towards a Container Recycling Scheme later this year. This has come about from the extensive research into the impact that plastics are having on our oceans. However, aside from the vision of turtles swimming in oceans of plastic bags and dead whales with plastic filling their gut, what is the science behind the news items? Is it as big an issue as the sensational headlines make out?
Come and hear from Professor Kevin Thomas (UQ Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), about the latest advancements in microplastics measurement and management challenges. Then learn from Colin Hester (Queensland Urban Utilities) on the logistics of managing a waste stream with microplastics within it.
Light refreshments & finger food included
Joint event between;
Stormwater Queensland & Engineers Australia, Queensland Division, Water Panel
Date: Thursday 6th September, 2018
Time: 1pm – 5pm (Registration opens 12.30pm)
Location: Hawken Auditorium, Engineering House
Flood Forecasting requires underlying systems and techniques that has applications within various parts of the water industry. While the Bureau of Meteorology is the official flood forecasting agency, they work in close co-operation with related agencies who manage emergency response and/or water resources. This requires systems that take in real-time data and provide robust and quality controlled data to decision makers. Flood forecasting systems are a rapidly advancing, highly innovative field solving unique problems.
This event will provide a range of presenters from the industry including:
- Seqwater (Lindsay Millard)
- Bureau of Meteorology (Sue Oates & Jonty Hall)
- Ipswich City Council (Adam Berry & Matthew Pinder)
- Water Technology (Alister Daly)
The event will highlight and showcase how some of the different forecasting systems across organisations are being used and their linkages. You will get to see firsthand how different authorities respond to actual flood events and how they work together in Qld – it is a peek into something quite unique and exciting. A range of different forecasting and meteorological products ranging from basic to complex will also be demonstrated within multiple flood forecasting systems.
BoM will provide a presentation on their new, current and future products. This presentation will include information on their HyFS [Delft-FEWS] system and a general overview on the development phase STEPS and Rainfields products and how these have been incorporated into a trial flash flood forecasting system at Ipswich City Council. Furthermore, an insight into how an Emergency Management Response team would utilise some of this data in an actual flood event will be provided
Seqwater will demonstrate the real-time data exchange between the modelling systems occurring between BoM’s HyFS and SeqFEWS [Delft-FEWS flood warning systems. The quality control of the rain and flow gauge datafeeds that inform the models will also be presented.
A method in which radar rainfall is utilised by flood modellers will also be showcased in an example of how to calibrate flood events using a radar rainfall calibration approach.
This promises to be an event full of new information, practice and innovation in an emerging and exciting space in floodplain management.
Event facilitated by Daniel Niven (Engineers Australia Water Panel and Stormwater Qld Committee Member)
Like all infrastructure, stormwater control measures (SCMs) and other Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) assets require appropriate maintenance to ensure they are achieving their original purpose. It is subsequently recognised that the operation and maintenance of SCM and other WSUD assets require significant and appropriate resources to ensure their appropriate function. However, anecdotal and published information indicates that these assets are often not being appropriately maintained and are subsequently often not achieving their design objectives. ‘Stormwater utilities’ have been proposed as one solution to provide a stable funding source for stormwater management.
Our upcoming workshop will be a chance to describe and discuss the current status of SCM management in QLD (for both privately and publicly owned assets), and describe/ discuss the potential option for future ‘stormwater utilities’.
The format will include short presentations from an Expert Panel followed by an interactive discussion between the audience and panel. Come along, be involved and debate the many competing issues. A complex challenge that requires broad discussion to provide direction and lead our thinking on this critical topic – don’t miss your chance to contribute in this important area.
Confirmed Expert Panel Members include:
- Jonathon Whitcombe (Moreton Bay Regional Council)
- Andy Hornbuckle (SPEL Environmental)
- Charles Coathup (Renew Solutions)
- Stephen Turfrey (Redlands Shire Council)
Cost:
- Members and students: $65/ person (incl. GST)
- Non-members: $100/ person (incl. GST)
Stormwater Qld is facilitating an opportunity for The Department of Environment and Science to provide a summary of the:
As these guidelines have not been endorsed by Stormwater Queensland we are facilitating this event as a way to allow our members and others to provide feedback to the state on both guidelines. We believe that strategic overview and direction of important issues require feedback to help improvements in this space. Because of this, SQ is providing this event free of charge as we really need our industry to voice their opinions and share their knowledge. Date: Wed 6 March 3:30-5pm Where: Department of Environment and Science 400 George Street Brisbane Qld 4000 No catering provided |
After five years of consultation, collaboration and negotiation, Stormwater Australia released the SQIDEP document in December 2018. The document provides a uniform set of criteria to which all stormwater treatment measures (green & grey) can be field-tested and reported. These criteria should guide and inform field monitoring programs that seek to demonstrate pollutant removals for treatment measures implemented to achieve planning water quality objectives.
This SQ event will be facilitated by Sally Boer, Director, E2Designlab, and include an expanded list of speakers. Alan Hoban, Director, Bligh Tanner, will present on the consultation process and development of the SQIDEP and future. This will be followed by a presentation from Darren Drapper, Principal, Drapper Environmental Consultants, on the SQIDEP technical content and practical implementation. Following these two presentations a panel of speakers will each provide a short summary of their thoughts on the SQIDEP. The panel will comprise: Andy Hornbuckle, SPEL Environmental; Mike Wicks, Stormwater360; Charles Kelly, Humes; Stephen Baker, Rocla; and Andew Macklin, Urban Asset Solutions. Following the panel discussion, you’ll have an opportunity to ask your questions about this important industry benchmark.
Don’t miss this chance to be at the leading edge of this significant step-change in our industry. Following the workshop, there will be an opportunity for networking and further informal discussions over drinks and canapés with industry colleagues.
If you are not currently a Stormwater Queensland member, apply to join today and attend this event at the dicounted member rates. Apply here
Healthy freshwater streams rely on may factors that are strongly influenced by hydrology and not related to water quality. The Healthy Land & Water Blueprint for Improving Waterway Management (2020) advocates for a change to the SPP to introduce new targets such as flow controls to reduce detrimental impacts from urban flow increases.
Tony Weber, one of the authors of the blueprint, will discuss why such targets are needed to protect Queensland’s waterways. He will also review the development and application of hydrological targets for stormwater, currently taking place in other states and how such targets can be assessed.
Carl Tippler will also cover ecological requirements of streams and their links to hydrology, along with some case study examples.
This 1-hour webinar is hosted by Stormwater Queensland and will include presentations from Tony and Carl, followed by Q&A with attendees.
Proof of CPD will be provided to attendees upon request to Stormwater Queensland.
The recent January flooding in Maryborough, saw the failure of a temporary flood barrier, that caused a change in the emergency management of the township. Designing, constructing and maintaining levees are important to ensure they can be used as a means of flood protection. We have brought together a panel of international (Netherlands) and local (Queensland) professionals, to get a glimpse into their experiences and then open the floor to your questions.
This 1-hour webinar, hosted by Stormwater Queensland, will include presentations from Dion Jones, Christian Huising and Brendan Wallace, followed by a Q&A with attendees.
Cost $15 – Proof of CPD will be provided to attendees upon request to Stormwater Queensland.
This webinar seeks to disrupt the current method of selecting a pipe where only constructability, durability and cost are considered. New criteria, embodied carbon and operational energy, must be considered in order to reduce the environmental impact of pipeline, sewerage and drainage projects.
The presentation uses a method of calculating embodied carbon emissions of approved materials, rather than proposing new materials. Therefore, this tool can be used to reduce carbon emissions immediately, at a critical time for climate change and contributes to an analysis, that will assist water utilities in South-East Queensland (SEQ) to make informed decisions about which approved pipe materials have the least embodied carbon emissions.
This 1-hour webinar is hosted by Stormwater Queensland and will include presentations, followed by Q&A with attendees.
Cost $10 – Proof of CPD will be provided to attendees upon request to Stormwater Queensland.
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.
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.
