Land use planning
Many changes to land use require planning permission. When approval is required, the planning system is an important component of both catchment and stormwater management strategies. In rapidly growing areas, it is commonly the most important tool of a catchment or stormwater manager. This is because:
- land use change drives change in catchment performance in these situations,
- there is a large opportunity cost if planning is not done well, and
- there is a cash flow within the land development process to fund good quality stormwater management.
See:
Urban water engineering
Water engineering is a major component of catchment and stormwater management in urban areas. Engineering advice and practice play a major role in shaping the water cycle performance of new urban areas, and engineering budgets provide many of the opportunities for retrofitting older urban areas to improve their water management performance.
See:
Organisational change
Changing the ways in which urban communities manage their water necessarily involves changing the ways in which large organisations act.
Local Councils are central players in stormwater management because they establish land use planning controls and provide drainage infrastructure. In Australia they are often also the local water and sewerage authority. So changing the way Local Councils act is an important part of improving catchment and stormwater management. Skills in catalysing change are essential for catchment and stormwater managers.
Community development and education
For the long term, the underlying driver of catchment and stormwater management is local communities. If they care, then these issues are on governments' agendas. Governmental concern correlates roughly with community concern - as it should be in a democracy. Clearly, then, it is in communities' best interests to have a good understanding of local water cycle dynamics, their levels of risk, and their opportunities. So community development and environmental education have important roles to play in catchment and stormwater management.
See also Coordinating catchment management
