Water sensitive design may be tried

The Woy Woy Peninsula may be used for a pilot project on Water Sensitive Urban Design with Gosford Council to prepare a feasibility study on a new project.

Gosford Council has recently completed the Woy Woy Stormwater Infiltration Project in partnership with the University of Technology, Sydney.

The outcomes show that the area is essentially a blank canvas for a project to effectively manage stormwater, according to a report to Gosford Council.

Associate Professor Geoffrey O'Loughlin of the University of Technology, Sydney, prepared a report in September 1997 to assess alternative stormwater drainage systems for the Peninsula.

The report recommended further investigations into the feasibility of stormwater infiltration as a stormwater drainage solution.

These trials have shown the work to be successful in managing stormwater ponding and water quality.

There was no evidence of pollutants migrating into the groundwater

Each year Council reconstructs several roads on the Peninsula as a result of water damage.

Council will now investigate the feasibility of using the professor's early results to turn the Peninsula into a pilot project to for water sensitive urban design.

A recent report by Council noted that the Peninsula's flat and low terrain required much bigger pipes to convey the stormwater.

"Flat pipes are prone to blockage by silt. The high ongoing maintenance cost associated with clearing blocked pipes has not been estimated," it stated.

"Clearly the present stormwater management strategy is not sustainable.

The high cost and very large pipe sizes associated with traditional stormwater design practice led Council to begin the search for alternative stormwater drainage solutions for the Peninsula.

Council Agenda SF.016 July 6