Urban Intensification - the Wastewater Implications

It is well publicised that the demand for housing in growing urban centres significantly outstrips the current supply. The demand is progressively being catered for with a mix of new greenfield subdivisions and redevelopment of brownfield sites. This intensification will only place additional stress to an already overloaded network.

This paper will discuss implications observed on the existing wastewater network as a result of this widespread urban intensification and the effects on relevant stakeholders. In general we will be referring to areas where a greater percentage of residential and commercial lots are being developed or construction of multi-story buildings on previously underdeveloped land.

The way in which new wastewater assets are designed and constructed continue to evolve to ensure robust solutions to the additional constraints of an intensified city are provided. We will discuss in depth the major constraints in reference to two general scenarios which are relatively common:

• Connections to a wastewater network that is currently at capacity
• Renewals and upgrading of existing infrastructure in an intensified or soon to be intensified land.

We will explore some of the constraints and corresponding learnings from the perspective of asset owners, developers and the community as a whole.