Ecological Contexts
Ecosystems' needs
How urban areas affect the ecosystems from which they draw water, and the ecosystems into which they discharge water, is a major driver in urban water engineering.
These effects underpin engineering plans and designs. Some illustrations of how ecology shapes engineering are:
- In some catchments the relative contribution of urban areas to stream flow changes and to pollutant loads is small. Agriculture dominates. In others, urban stormwater is a major influence on the receiving water bodies.
To conserve or improve an aquatic system, funding for urban and agricultural stormwater management should reflect these catchment differences. [Institutional boundares permitting! They are often challenging constraints at this point.] - Some urban areas sit upstream of extensive wetlands, and others don't.
Wetlands are especially sensitive to changes in wetting and drying cycles (how often, and for how long, an area of bushland is covered with water), so much closer attention to flow management is needed to design urban developments that are sustainable, when their stormwater flows to wetlands. - In some estuaries (e.g. deeper ones with extensive seagrass beds), increasing the sediment load is more of a problem than increases in nutrient loads. In these systems, elevated sediment loads can reduce the availability of light and that can kill seagrasses.
A treatment train that is optimised for sediment removal is different from one focused on nutrient management. - Marine systems are usually nitrogen poor (i.e. the nutrient that limits aquatic plant growth is nitrogen). The freshwater sections of creeks and rivers are likely to be phosphorus poor. Estuaries vary; depending on their exchange with the ocean, plant growth might tend to be limited by nitrogen, or phoshorus, or it may fluctuate. When estuaries are nutrient enriched, constructed wetands are often used.
Constructed wetlands are designed differently, depending on whether their primary objective is to remove phosphorus or nitrogen or both.
Getting oriented
Urban Stormwater Connections to Natural Systems (DEH)
Catchment Audit
(Urbanwater.info)
The catchment audit process helps you quickly scope the ecological context of engineering works.
Catchment Data Sets (for NSW) (Urbanwater.info)
Strategic Water Management Planning
- Developing Plans (Urbanwater.info)
- Catchment Management Plans
- Water Cycle Management Plans
- Stormwater Management Plans
- Water Management Planning Tools
- Existing Plans (for NSW: Catchment, Stormwater, Land Use) (Urbanwater.info)
Common Stormwater Issues
Australia
Major Issues for Urban Stormwater Systems (Dept of Environment and Heritage, Australia)
An introduction to some of the common issues relating to stormwater management including ESD, quality, quantity, nutrients, sediments and urban infrastructure.
Urban Stormwater Connections to Natural Systems (DEH, Aust.)
Stormwater gross pollutants (CRC Catchment Hydrology)
Stormwater Pollutants Processes and Pathways - Draft (Engineers Australia)
Discussion of urban water and stormwater management studies, stormwater pollutant characteristics and pollutant mobilistation pathways. Sourced from a draft version of Australian Runoff Quality (ARQ) which is a design guideline that provides an overview of current best practice in the management of urban stormwater in Australia.
Water quality and ecology in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT SOE)
United States
Introduction to stormwater effects on water quality (US EPA)
A general discussion about water quality changes brought about by stormwater. There are also some specific figures on loading rates for a range of pollutants including sediment and nutrients as well as heavy metals.
Stormwater Effects Handbook (US EPA)
It provides a process for determining whether stormwater runoff is causing adverse effects and impairments to use in local receiving waters. This document is available as separate chapters in pdf format.
Ecological Places
Catchments (Urbanwater.info)
Bushland (Urbanwater.info)
Wetlands (Urbanwater.info)
Urban Ecology (Urbanwater.info)
Groundwater (Urbanwater.info)
Creeks and Rivers (Urbanwater.info)
Lakes & Reservoirs (Urbanwater.info)
Estuaries & Coastal Lagoons (Urbanwater.info)
Oceans (Urbanwater.info)
Re-visioning Engineering
Engineering Within Ecological Constraints (e-book)
"Engineering within Ecological Constraints presents a rare dialogue between engineers and environmental scientists as they consider the many technical as well as social and legal challenges of ecologically sensitive engineering. The volume looks at the concepts of scale, resilience, and chaos as they apply to the points where the ecological life support system of nature interacts with the technological life support system created by humankind. Among the questions addressed are:
- What are the implications of differences between ecological and engineering concepts of efficiency and stability?
- How can engineering solutions to immediate problems be made compatible with long-term ecological concerns?
- How can we transfer ecological principles to economic systems?
"The book also includes important case studies on such topics as water management in southern Florida and California and oil exploration in rain forests. From its conceptual discussions to the practical experience reflected in case studies, this volume will be important to policymakers, practitioners, researchers, educators, and students in the fields of engineering, environmental science, and environmental policy."
Developing ecosystem management strategies
Ecological Functions of Devices and Practices (Urbanwater.info)
Stormwater, Water Cycle and Catchment Management Planning (Urbanwater.info)
Environmental Planning for Stormwater Management in Catchments (Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Canada)
A guide to using both environmental and municipal planning tools for stormwater management. Also contains a useful process diagram of steps required for evaluating the environmental characteristics of a catchment before stormwater designs are developed.
Preparing Customised Stormwater Plans for Sub-catchments (Stormwater Managers Resource Centre, USA)
The sub-catchments are separated into the types of receiving waters that are likely to be affected by stormwater discharge including water supply, estuaries and urban lakes. In order to access this page you will need to click on 'Fact Sheets' and then 'Land Planning'.
Water sensitive urban design solutions for catchments above wetlands - overview and approach (Aust.)
Designing Ecosystem Management Strategies (Urbanwater.info)
Designing Ecosystem Management Systems (Urbanwater.info)
