The Importance of Maintaining a Holistic Approach in Stormwater Design
Stormwater Conference
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Catchment Management Plans (CMP’s) provide a framework for the management of stormwater. They include policies and guidelines for the management of streams, floodplains and urban growth, and the operation, maintenance and improvement of stormwater assets. CMP’s provide the framework for assessing comprehensive discharge consents and developing a prioritised programme of works to be incorporated within the Long Term Council Community Plan (LTCCP).
It is standard practice for identified remedial concepts to be split into separate projects and awarded on an individual basis for detailed design. However, as the entire process between the project identification and its actual inception can take several years, there is a considerable risk that the original concept is no longer the best practicable solution for solving the identified issues. This is because the circumstances under which the original concept designs were conceived have often changed. Such changes may include modification in hydrological standards, improvement in modeling methodologies, changes in land use zonings, advancements in construction technologies and the identification of additional stormwater issues within adjacent catchment areas.
By maintaining a holistic approach throughout the design process, considerable benefits can often be obtained. Recent work undertaken by Beca / SKM within the EllerslieWaiatarua catchment provides an insight into some of these benefits.