E-NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2022
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Message from the Treasurer, Stephen D'Agata
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Welcome to 2022, Stormies!
My motto for this year is ‘expect nothing, accept everything’, not getting caught up in what you’re missing out on but making the most of whatever comes your way. That being said, Stormwater Victoria has a lot of great things coming our way this year. Our ridiculously successful online seminars and webinars will continue this year. How great is it that you don’t have to take half a day off work to attend a 1-hour event and how great is it that we are able to engage with Stormies from Mildura to Malacoota.
I have been involved with the torturous decision to finalise our 2022 Conference Agenda. Too many great papers to choose from and unfortunately, we couldn’t fit them all in, but rest assured, with the program all but finalised, we are set for a great Conference.
We will be vaxed, we may be masked, we may be socially distanced, but we will be together in Geelong for lots of knowledge sharing, networking, and fun times.
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An Urban Oasis - Dempster Oasis Park Stormwater Harvesting Scheme
Sunshine North’s Dempster Oasis Park Stormwater Harvesting Scheme has been fully commissioned and is now operational.
The project has been led by Brimbank City Council in partnership with City West Water, Melbourne Water, Department of Environment, Water, Land and Planning (DELWP) and is supported by the Greening the West initiative.
The project received funding from DELWP, MW and from GWW SWH Partnering Fund in 2020. Costing over $2M to design and construct, the project aims to deliver over 11-million litres per year of harvested stormwater to irrigate the community sporting reserve and surrounding open spaces as part of a state government initiative to substitute drinking water and keeping our urban parklands green all year round.
The Dempster Oasis Park project is designed to cool and green the surrounding area for residents and community which is fundamental for urban cooling and to mitigate a changing climate and supports thriving communities, now and into the future.
The scheme features additional technology aimed at improving the reliability of supply and treatment of harvested stormwater including:
- a sediment capture device installed downstream of a Gross Pollutant Trap (GPT)
- a raingarden that will feature 6000 native plants and will further improve sediment capture.
- a compact irrigation pump kiosk featuring separated switchboards for remote monitoring and maintenance dispatch, climate control, UV disinfection and final filtration.
- an independent Potable water back up to ensure continuous supply to the council buffer tank when the SWH system is offline for maintenance or when poor water quality is detected.
This is one of many innovative and collaborative stormwater projects funded by City West Water’s Partnership Fund, to provide water for greener west.
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Level Up Your Involvement to a National Level
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Did you know that Stormwater Australia have updated their level of engagement and are inviting their members to get involved at a National level? As a Stormwater Victoria Member you also form part of the Stormwater Australia cohort by default, so it’s super easy to get involved if you’re a member.
They are currently asking for member-based volunteers to help them out with three project areas:
- Knowledge sharing and celebration
- Advocacy and Influence
- Admin and Resourcing
Each project area will have a number of mini projects you can get involved with like the 'Knowledge Hub' project already underway with support from members like our own Celine Marchenay (Committee, WaterTech). This project is going to revolutionise how you access information and engage online once complete. Stay tuned, this project is a good one.
Now this is your chance to get involved with one of a variety of National based projects that improve our stormwater industry. In this position you’ll engage with Stormwater Australia board members, other interstate members, and leaders across the industry as you help setup the project, drill down to the detail and make it happen.
Rarely is there opportunities to be part of working group across a Nation like this. No specific skills needed, however your passion and interest to build and grow our industry is a must.
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Meet the Speaker – Miranda Cowley |
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On the 30th of November, 2021, SV held a members-only forum to discuss the Central and Gippsland Region Sustainable Water Strategy on the back of it’s draft release by the Victorian Government. This 10 year strategy outlines a series of directions for how we will meet the water supply shortfall in the future, while ensuring that our communities and environment are liveable and resilient. The session included an open discussion about the direction, approach, and position of Stormwater Victoria as an organisation and was facilitated by GHD. Miranda Cowley was part of the facilitation team and helped to design the session for us, and such, we invited her to Meet The Speaker this issue.
Miranda Cowley grew up in sunny Darwin, and moved to Melbourne to attend Monash University where she completed a double degree in Civil Engineering and Earth Sciences in 2019. During that time, she completed the vacation program at Yarra Valley Water in 2017/18 and the vacation program at GHD in 2018/19. She has been working full time at GHD for over 2 years now as a Water Resources engineer within the Water Strategy team and has worked on various projects, including water catchment modelling, WSUD and IWM. Recently she joined the Our Future Cities committee and she is keen to get more involved in industry.
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SV (Tracey Pham): Thanks again for helping us out with the Sustainable Water Strategy discussion session – the session was very productive thanks to GHD. I want to start with, how did you get involved in the stormwater industry?
Miranda: I am in GHD’s water group, so I have had the opportunity to work in stormwater, IWM and more broadly in the water industry. Having grown up in the tropics of Darwin, I love the rain, so managing stormwater is close to my heart.
SV: Nice one, and within GHD’s water group, what has been your favourite project so far? And why?
Miranda: ACAWN! Otherwise known as Assessing City-wide Alternative Water Networks.
SV: Woah! Sounds interesting! What’s that about?
Miranda: We worked with a large group of stakeholders to investigate a wide range of water topics across Greater Melbourne, including re-use of large volumes of stormwater.
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It has been my favourite project so far because I had the opportunity to work with many experts across the industry on a wide range of water topics.
SV: oh that great that you got to learn from lots of experts on that project. Is there an aspect of your role that “sounds boring” but you really enjoy?
Miranda: I enjoy making visuals for reports. Although reporting is often less exciting, I like to think through the message I’m telling and how I can best do that. After all, a picture says a thousand words!
SV: That’s true! Last question, where’s your favourite recreational spot to take your friends/family?
Miranda: Heavily influenced by previous restrictions in Melbourne, I have spent many hours at Albert Park lake! It was a haven during Melbourne’s hard times and I am enjoying getting to visit now with friends.
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SV Submission for DELWPs Central and Gippsland Region Sustainable Water Strategy (SWS) |
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As the key body representing organisations and individuals involved in stormwater management, Stormwater Victoria is committed to being an active leader in the water industry and giving an independent voice on the issues that are important to its members.
The release of the draft Sustainable Water Strategy (SWS) in late 2021 is a key piece of policy which sets the path for long-term planning for sustainable and secure water supply in Victoria. We saw this as an important opportunity to advocate for the inclusion and recognition of the significant role stormwater can play in this.
A members-only engagement session was held on the 30th of November, 2021 to determine the priorities and challenges stormwater management that our members are seeking to see addressed in the next 10 years. The session was facilitated to generate some fantastic discussion and provide rich feedback to SV. From this session we were able to solicit specific feedback on the objectives and strategies set out by the SWS, which has informed our submission.
This is a great example of the proactive policy and advocacy leadership of SV and something we hope to continue in 2022! You can view our submission here.
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Understanding and Applying Victoria's Stormwater Planning Requirements
Host: Clearwater
Date: Thursday, 7 April 2022
Time: 10.00 am - 3.30 pm
Location: Online - Zoom
Speakers: Sara Lloyd - Director, Environmental Science, E2Designlab || Kate Matthews, Tract Consultants ||
Mandy Bolton, Senior Policy Advisor, DELWP
VIC 58th Annual Awards Gala 2022
Host: Australian Water Association
Date: Wednesday, 28 March 2022
Time:6.30 pm - 11.00 pm
Location: Palladium, Level 1 Crown Towers, Crown Melbourne, VIC
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franc.sydney 2022
Host: Stormwater NSW
Date: 29 - 30 March 2022
Time: All Day
Location: Dockside Darling Harbour, Sydney, NSW
Speakers: Various
2022 Stormwater Victoria Conference
Host: Stormwater Victoria
Date: 6 - 8 June 2022
Time: All Day
Location: Novotel Geelong
Speakers: Various
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If you are interested in contributing an article, upcoming industry event or news item to The Outlet e-newsletter, please send an email to president@stormwatervictoria.com.au.
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Stormwater Victoria Major Sponsor: |
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