Groundwater management training with New WAter Ways
New WAter Ways held its very first groundwater management training session in Perth last week, on Thursday 18th March 2014. The event was run by Shelley and Helen in association with the Department of Water and was attended by over 20 people.
The aim of New WAter Ways is to build the water sensitive urban design capacity of Government and industry to improve the delivery of urban water management and water sensitive cities.
In this context the groundwater management training session was developed in order to increase understanding of urban groundwater management issues in government and private industry, particularly in relation to how land use change affects the hydrology of our groundwater systems and how this needs to be considered in development.
Shelley and Helen’s presentation focussed on land development in areas of high groundwater and seasonally waterlogged land in particular and addressed the following issues:
- Natural water balance and cycles
- What happens to groundwater when you change the land use
- Current land development trends – towards smaller lots & the use of fill
- How to design at sites with high groundwater and at what stage of the process does the design work need to happen
- Guidelines for addressing these issues and requirements for development
Due to the high groundwater conditions of much of the land now targeted for development in Perth, an understanding of groundwater management is more critical than it has ever been, particularly if we are to get the balance right between successful, viable housing and maintaining the health of our environmental systems and quality of our water resources.
So if you think you would like to learn more about this issue, keep your eyes peeled for repeat groundwater management training events as well as other upcoming events on the New WAter Ways website! You can also subscribe to the free eNewsletter to get all the latest water-y news, and information on future events and training sessions – just enter your contact details at the bottom of the website!
