Water literacy and behaviour change

Sustainable management of water can be impacted by everyone. Increasing awareness of water challenges amongst communities and driving behaviour change at both an individual and organisational level is a key strategy in delivering water sensitive cities. Some solutions are able play an educational role or highlight the opportunities and challenges for urban water management.

Greening the pipeline is a project that aims to celebrate and utilise the now disused Melbourne Outfall Sewer corridor which runs through western Melbourne. Gradual greening of the corridor and creation of pocket parks at crossing points is connecting communities and enhancing recreation.

The Currumbin Ecovillage is a 147 lot development in the Gold Coast Hinterland with sustainability at its heart. It demonstrates off-grid living and includes large rainwater tanks on each lot to provide drinking water.

The Currumbin Ecovillage is a 147 lot development in the Gold Coast Hinterland with sustainability at its heart. Wastewater is treated on-site and provided back to the houses for non-potable uses.

A public parklands in the heart of Brisbane has implemented an alternative water supply scheme for irrigation and toilet flushing by utilising harvested stormwater and filtered backwash from pools and water features.

A Melbourne development planned in collaboration between a water utility and a developer, which includes smart technology to provide rainwater for hot water supply, recycled water supply and real-time monitoring of water use, forthcoming storms and tank levels.

Josh Byrne led by example by building his own home using environmental principles and proving that sustainability can be affordable. Josh's house includes a range of water sensitive urban design and water efficiency measures.

The City of Gold Coast was one of the early adopters in applying the CRC for Water Sensitive Cities’ Transition Planning Process to develop a water sensitive city vision and transition strategy.

During a one-day workshop, Council and external stakeholders worked together through a facilitated threestep process to agree on the local government area’s current status in meeting the seven goals of a water sensitive city.

On 26 October 2018, Amendment VC154 changed the Victoria Planning Provisions (VPP) and all planning schemes, to introduce new stormwater management provisions for urban development and amend State planning policies related to integrated water management (IWM).