Transcript Slide 1

Evolution of Total Water Cycle
Management
in Townsville City
an infrastructure based approach from “Creek to Coral“
Tuesday, 28th February 2006
Greg Bruce
Manager Environmental Management
» Welcome to Townsville
» Townsville
is Queensland’s largest regional City, and together with the
neighbouring City of Thuringowa is home to over 158,500 people and covering a
combined area of c. 4000 km2 (TCC – 1800 km2 )
Image from NASA WorldWind
Wet Tropics WHA
RAMSAR Wetlands
Townsville City
Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area
Townsville
and proximity to Great Barrier Reef & World Heritage Areas
» A Distinctive Queensland Experience
» Townsville is where the Tropical Savannas meet the coast and is the southern
gateway to the Wet Tropics and at the City’s Strand foreshore abuts the Great
Barrier Reef World Heritage Area
Townsville Citiwater Biogas Project
Grid-connected cogeneration, renewable
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Water Governance Challenges:
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Proximity to Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area
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Lack of ownership by people of problems and solutions –
“belongs to government not us”
Impost of additional financial and environmental regulations
Lack of knowledge of tropical ecosystems and impacts
Defining management actions and lacking expertise
Fragmentation of jurisdictions, planning, regulation, and failure
to understand inherent interconnectiveness of water cycle
As expressed by AWA:
the “separation of the urban water supply and wastewater
system from the stormwater system” and does “not reflect the
theoretical water cycle”
(2002 Senate Inquiry into Australia’s Urban Water Management)
“The major threats to the health, productivity and biodiversity of
coastal and marine environments result from human activities on
land.
In many cases water resources in streams, rivers and
groundwater reservoirs transport pathogens, nutrients,
sediments, heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants and litter
large distances from the hilltops to the oceans”.
Hilltops2Oceans (H2O) Partnership Initiative, 2004
“There is no solution that can be successful from the top down. We
must build social capital at the grass roots – empowering
communities”
Ismail Serageldin of the World Bank, (in Hatziolos, Hooten, Fodor, 1997).
» Process to Total Water Cycle Management:
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Drivers for Change
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Integrating with and acknowledge community
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Integrating total water with Sustainability
and urban development
Acting Locally – Commencing the Journey
From Stormwater to Total Water – Citiworks and
Citiwater
Evolving to Creek to Coral (connecting land, water and
marine environment)
» Our Council’s total water mgt approach shows:
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Changes in culture and management in TCC
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Community acknowledgement and involvement
Evolving an approach linking water utility management
with Wetlands, Waterways, Ecosystems, Community &
overall Sustainability
Consideration of the marine environment
Partnership with the City of Thuringowa (COT) & EPA
Removing fragmentation, Jurisdiction, planning and
regulation, environment and industry
on the infrastructure-based and community involvement project “Creek to Coral”.
More specifically: Involving Key Aspects
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Commitment to Fostering Partnerships
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Adaptability (adaptive management)
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Ownership of the Water Cycle
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Within a framework of co-learning and community development
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In model of scarce resources and requiring innovation
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Involving Engineers, Environment Officers, NGO (CVA), Volunteers,
Students (School / University) and Community Groups
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Framework of “4C’s”
Catchment Tours, Curriculum, Creekwatch, & Coast-Marine
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Knowledge & Communication Networks – Sustainable Education
Network & Centre for Excellence in Tropical Design (CETD –
Sustainability & Innovation)
Council’s approach in integrated water management
evolved from conflict into partnership
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Commencing with our drainage engineers and conflict with mangrove and
drains and flood management
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Water management initially focused on stormwater and water quality
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The Urban Stormwater Quality Management Plan (1998) allowed TCC to
acquire funding to implement integrated stormwater improvement
www.soe-townsville.org/stormwater/
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This led to partnership between TCC Environmental Management Services
and Citiworks, creating sustainable engineering solutions to stormwater
management issues
Key outcomes of the NHT Clean Seas
and USI projects are:
•Infrastructure to capture pollutants
•Opportunity to monitor urban water quality
•Results indicating high nutrient levels (Sadler, 2003)
•Council’s capacity to provide integrated solutions to water:
(eg. stormwater and fish habitat)
And
The newly-forged Engineering–Environmental partnership became,
the catalyst for managing the Total Water Cycle “Rainfall to Outfall”
A National Report on Urban Water stated that:
“One clear lesson from the project (TCC’s Clean Seas & Urban
Stormwater Initiative) is the benefit of protection of the whole system
– including land and water use policies for contiguous and surround sites
– rather than simply addressing components of it, such as the
construction of “end of pipe” wetlands prior to discharge”.
“The Value of Water - Urban Water Management Inquiry” (2002)
and yet:
This National Water report still did not address the roles of natural &
ecological systems in water management, and
Made no attempt to link urban water with the impacts of land-based
activities on the marine environment,
FROM STORMWATER TO TOTAL WATER
ENTER CITIWATER
Commence … “holy grail” triple bottom line concepts of sustainability,
including:
•Rainfall to Outfall;
•Traditional Waterwise;
•Methane capture.
Since then:
•A movement towards managing water resources as a whole;
•An adaptive learning journey.
remembering that “Value of Water” maintains the compartmentalised
approach is the norm
Integrating Total Water Cycle Management with
Sustainability and Urban Development
•Council’s Sustainable Townsville programme
•World Class Water Recycling Commitment
90% Dry Weather reuse by 2008
•Increased energy requirements = CO2e emissions up
•Linking energy and water (carbon neutral)
(see www.soe-townsville.org/sustainable/water)
Accelerated Sustainability intensive planning
(AtKisson Accelerator) May 2004,
•Water - a key natural “system”
•A locally “global” or city-wide
•Energy-water
(see www.soe-townsville.org/atkisson/)
Nature Systems – Water Cycle Management
Nature Systems Maps
Catchment Management
Waterway stormwater
Homes / water conservation
Industry / Parks water conservation
Wastewater efficiency TBL
Regulatory effectiveness / appropriate
www.SOE-Townsville.org/atkisson/
Energy Management opportunities
Carbon Neutral Water Recycling Project
“Creek to Coral” incorporates four key
responses and working groups:
•Infrastructure (water, wastewater, dams, drains & waterways)
•Community Involvement and Partnership,
•Integrated Monitoring & Research, and
•Environmental Emergency Response
(Creek to Coral Business Plan, 2004).
“Creek to Coral” is a different approach.
Demonstrates a change in culture and a willingness to partner.
In sync with three of four International Coral Reef Initiative’s (ICRI)
themes:
•Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM),
•Capacity Building,
•Research and Monitoring
(ICRI Renewed Call to Action, 1998).
Natural Resources Management
of Waterways & Catchments
Townsville
City Council
in partnership
with CoT & EPA
Sustainable
Management
of Water
Management
Infrastructure,
waterways,
& wetlands
Sewage
Stormwater quality
Water Supply
Grondwater regulation
Ports
Creek to coral
Infrastructure Base
Natural Heritage Trust &
Regional Arrangements
Creekwatch
Landcare
Bushcare
Seagrass Watch
Reef Check
BCTB
(Budekin Dry
Tropics Board)
NaREF
(Natural Resources
&Management
Forum)
Community
Aspirations
& Involvement
NaREF
Community Based approach
Local - Townsville
Globally and nationally
Sustain – Youth Environment
World Ocean Network
Network
network of educators and communicators
Creek to Coral - an infrastructure
UN Hilltops2Oceans
& FreshCo / ICRI /
based approach networked
Global Water Partnership
ICLEI - Local Governments for
Sustainable Townsville
a cluster networks and sustainability
Centre of Excellence in
Tropical Design
(Sustainability & Innovation)
Queensland Water Directorate
Sustainability
Community-Based Education & Involvement (CBEI)
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Community education has been an integral component of the shift in
transformation of cultures and paradigms within TCC concerning water
management over the last 10 years
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To be effective requires an on-going commitment to partnering-networks,
and community capacity building is crucial to foster and engender city-wide
ownership of catchment programs & water quality management
»This commitment provides a basis for a colearning environment guided by the principles
of Community Development,
And is reflective of both local, regional, national and international policy
development shifts and needs.
www.soe-townsville.org/communityeducation/
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In 2004 over 2000 students were involved in local ‘learn-scape’ tours
visiting Townsville’s wetlands, waterways, coastal scapes and catchments
from:
Hilltops and Summits, Lakes & Waterways, Water Treatment Facilities, Wastewater/Water Recycling Treatment
Plants, Creeks & Pollution Control systems, Strand Wind Turbine (renewable energy education), and Marine
Environment
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Eco-catchment tours are an excellent way to celebrate annual
environmental events and activities such as:
- World Wetlands Day
- World Water Day
- World Ocean Day
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Eco-catchment tours now underpin the community framework for
fostering city-wide catchment education and involvement by simply
showing the community the environment that we live in
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The tours have facilitated and are building capacity for enhanced
community participation in environmental activities and on-going, longterm ownership of local environments and habitats as well as
generating interest, awareness and appreciation for the local
environment
Creekwatch
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Creekwatch is setup to empower community ownership and participation
where it is otherwise missing or resources are poor
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Provides an appropriate framework of support, flexible, teambuilding &
diversity of activities for participants
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There are three locally active Creekwatch community groups within the
Townsville region:
- Louisa Creekwatch
- Sachs Creekwatch
- Mundy Creekwatch
Coast & Marine Community Groups
supported by Creek to Coral and Townsville City Council
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Reef Check - Townsville
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Seagrass Watch
www.reefcheckaustralia.org
www.soe-townsville.org/seagrass/
From Victorian Sustainable School Programme, 2002
» Reporting back and providing information to community
on environment & water mgt - Townsville’s NAD & SOE
Has included development of the Council’s innovative and dynamic webbased
Townsville Regional Natural Assets Database (NAD) and
www.townsville.qld.gov.au/nad/
State of Environment Report (SOE) 2003
www.soe-townsville.org
www.TropicalDesign.org
Thank you