Integrated planning of water, sewerage and stormwater management systems in country NSW

This paper discusses guidelines for developing and implementing integrated water supply, sewerage and stormwater management (WSS) strategies by the 126 councils in country NSW. For each major catchment, in consultation with catchment stakeholders, the councils in the catchment would jointly develop a Catchment-wide Strategic Framework for meeting river flow and water quality objectives, the agreed total water cycle approach each council will take and opportunities forjoint development of services by the councils. Each council would then develop a long-term integrated WSS strategy which would consider the overall water services needs together to find economic solutions with minimal adverse impacts on the total water cycle. The Integrated WSS would specifically examine: all possible linkages between towns and between the three services, including potential for reuse of sewage effluent and use of stormwater. [cirf ] the impact of water storage, abstractions, effluent return flows, sewer overflows and urban stormwater on environmental objectives for catchment streams and groundwater aquifers, and optimal means of reducing impacts. [cirf ] demand management, waste minimisation and regional development of water services infrastructure. Council's commercial business units providing these services must then incorporate the principle- s for catchment-related environmental targets and required linkages between services set out in the Integrated WSS Strategy, into detailed strategic business plans for water supply and sewerage and a stormwater management plan for urban stormwater.